Harry Potter & the Second Chance
by azerjaban
Summary: Harry Potter, sick of fighting and loosing everyone he has ever cared for.In a twist of Fate, finds himself in a world where he died as a baby,his parents alive and is Voldemort really gone? Post HBP, PRE DH.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

"Lily!" a voice calls from the corner, "Over here!"

Lily turned to face her long-term friend standing by the door with her husband and let out an excited squeal. "Alice, Frank how are you two? When did you get back?" she hugged each in turn. And conjured them a drink.

"Just now," replied Alice "we dropped of Neville at his grandmother's..."

"Complaining the entire time!" interrupted Frank with a chuckle.

" The boy can't get out of visiting his grand-mother," exclaimed Alice. " Yet he still thinks he can do anything now that he's of age- oh you know how it is!"

"Of course" agreed Lily, hoping they didn't notice the wistful reply.

But as the smiles slid off the Longbottom's faces as they glanced at each other then back to her, she realized they had.

The atmosphere became suddenly tense as neither party wanted to be the first to break the silence that had fallen between them. Around them members of the Order laughed and talked, oblivious to exchange that had just taken place.

"I mean," Lily tried to explain "because Roseleen won't be of age until..." she faltered.

"Right. Of course" came Frank's rushed agreement, pretending not to notice her laps in speech.

Lily could practically see Alice's brain working furiously. Struggling to say something or form and explanation of some kind, as she nervously shifted from one foot to the other and cast pleading looks to her husband-who suddenly found his glass extremely interesting.

"Last week... would have been Harry's 17th right?"

Lily's head snapped back to Alice, she had expected her to dance around the subject as always, not head straight to the point. As the full extent of the question hit her, Lily had not been prepared for the tide of pain that followed and she was unable to school her features into the look of neutral indifference that she had so perfected.

Frank had made a hasty getaway at some point, but the girls had hardly noticed. Lily was staring at Alice as if seeing her for the first time- fighting to keep the current of emotions inside. Alice began wringing her fingers and flushed under Lily's scrutiny.

"Oh I've gone and put my foot in my mouth haven't I, here I am bragging about my Neville while you.."

"I'm fine Alice," Lily interrupted not knowing if she could handle another mention of her firstborn. " I'm happy for you Alice, you have nothing to apologize about, the question just shocked me that's all. "she lied. "Now I want to hear all about you vacation!"

For a moment it looked as if Alice wasn't going to take the bait. She shot Lily a look that said she _knew_ Lily was trying to change the subject. But the next moment she beamed and began to explain her one month trip to France. Lily made sure to nod at the right times and forced herself to laugh as Alice described Frank's reaction the Veela's.

It hadn't always been like this between her and Alice, odd and awkward. Quite the contrary, Lily and Alice had been best freinds since they're Hogwarts days. They had been in the same house with each other, same year and had been inseparable. In fact they had even been pregnant together and gave birth to they're first borns son's during the same month.

But that was where their similarities ended.

Lily hadn't lied when she said she was happy for her friend, but at the same time she couldn't help but envy Alice, her life had not fallen apart 16 years ago. She didn't know how it felt to watch your child die.. Only James did.

At the thought of her husband Lily turned to find him laughing with Frank at something Sirius had just said. _How can he do that?_ She mused. How was it that he stayed strong and didn't fall apart entirely as she did. He had simply gotten right back up and dusted himself off.

Not that he was insensitive or cold hearted. Lily knew her husband had grieved in his own way.

Matter of fact it was _James_ that blocked off Harry's nursery, left it unchanged as if he would suddenly be back in his crib...not six feet under.

Lily forced herself to stop thinking along those lines as she turned back to Alice and found her staring at her expectantly.

"Well?" her freind gushed.

Lily blinked slowly and realized that Alice must have asked her a question. "Umm..."

"Ah! Hello, hello yes, yes it seems as though everyone's here, lets get started now shall we?"

Lily rushed off to find a seat by her husband grateful for Albus's greatly timed entrance. Her conversation with Alice had shook her up more than she expected. She saw James give her a look that clearly asked _are you OK?_ Before he sat down. Lily forced another smile and nodded although she knew her husband would not fall for the facade.

As expected he raised his eyebrows skeptically, so Lily shook her head. A clear indication that she did not want to talk about it. This was neither the time, nor the place.

"Well it seems as though this might be the last full-scale meeting of the Order of Phoenix," Dumbledore began when everyone had sat down in a circle surrounding him. His blue eyes twinkled beneath his half-moon glasses, as he surveyed each member. "The last of the Horcrux have been destroyed for quite some time now, so I believe it's safe to say that we will not be hearing from Lord Voldemort anymore."

A resounding cheer sounded along with loud whistling and stomping of feet. Lily shook her head at her husband and Sirius's childishness.

"Yes, well there is still the matter of his followers, even after sixteen years they still remain loyal to his cause, recent attacks have..."

Dumbledore never got to finish, for at that moment a dazzling light erupted from the center of the room, so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes. Dumbledore gestured everyone to the far end of the wall, and Lily found herself being pushed behind her husband. All the Order members made a large space in the middle of the living room and only Dumbledore seemed to be the only one capable of staring into the light.

A crash sounded, and just as quickly as light erupted it vanished. Lily screamed as she caught sight of the bloody mangled body that it had left in it's wake. Beside her she heard her husband shift into Auror mode as he and Sirius took out they're wands and moved forward slowly.

"Oh my goodness!" cried Minerva McGonagall pushing her way towards the body.

"Stay back Minerva,"cautioned Dumbledore stopping her with his hand, "he could be dangerous."

"Dangerous! But Albus he is just a boy!" she pushed Dumbledore's hand aside and lent down beside the body curled in a fetal position. "Even if he was dangerous what could he do in this state?"

"How did he get in here?" asked James his wand still pointed at the abnormally still body. "there are anti-apparting wards around here strong enough to rival Hogwarts."

"Well you can't ask him anything if he's dead now could you?" Minerva snapped at her former student, she felt for a pulse. "He's barley alive, and covered in blood! Albus we must get this boy to Saint Mungo's immediately!"

"Yes, yes," Dumbledore's brow furrowed, "when you get there Minerva, please tell them to put him under Nora Filch's care. Hurry now he looks to be in severe condition."

Lily watched wide-eyed as Minerva levitated the boy to the door. Her eyes never left the blood caked body as she willed her heart to slow down. Vaguely she acknowledged her husbands voice calling to her and the stares of her fellow Order members, yet she didn't look away until the boy was out of sight.

"Lily!" she jumped with a start to see her husband looking up at her in concern, "Lily, honey? What's wrong?" they had the attention of everyone in the room now, even Dumbledore was boring into her with his crystal blue eyes.

Lily shrugged off they're concerned glances, "Look at this mess!" she cried indicating the broken table in the center of her living room, snapped in half and cloaked in a dark red liquid. "I'll have to clean it up." with that she rushed to the broom cupboard aware off the entire Orders stares.

There was something about that boy, something so eerily familiar. Lily pondered while opening the broom cupboard. She just couldn't shake the feeling of deja vu she was getting.

They still stared at her when she got back and Lily felt her face flush, (damn her redhead tendencies she cursed). "What!" she snapped hating how everyone seemed to walk eggshells around her, especially during this time of year.

"Going to clean the mess with a Nimbus 2000 Lil's?" replied Sirius barley concealing a grin. Everyone who had been trying to hold in they're laughter, broke down at Sirius's comment. Lily looked down and realized that in her haste she had grabbed Roseleen's old broom. She felt her face heat up and knew it was probably the same color as her hair now.

'I know you don't care much for Quidditch Lil's," James added between his laughter. "But you can't use it's brooms for cleaning!" Lily didn't understand what was so funny but suspected that her pinched, red-faced expression was the cause for everyone's laughter.

She turned to face her husband, now laughing so hard he had crouched into a fetal position, with a comeback on the tip of her tongue but paused. Her eyes widened drastically, and as her mind clicked she felt the broom drop from her hand.

"Oh-my-god!" she whispered, realizing with a start why the body had felt so familiar. Why as she stood next to it kept getting the feeling of deja vu. Why the whole incident had disturbed her to a whole new level.

Because he had looked like James.

The body had looked_ exactly _like a younger version of her husband!

With that last thought Lily's eyes rolled to the back of her head and she promptly fainted dead away.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

When Harry woke up, the first thing he noticed was that everything was white. He had a split second to register this before slamming his eyes shut at the blinding light surrounding him. A strong smell of antiseptic's hit him as Harry struggle to keep his eyes open against the abnormally white room.

No doubt he was in a hospital.

For a moment he wondered why, when it all came rushing back to him. The attack, the battle...the massacre.

Harry forced himself to push these thoughts aside as his eyes adjusted to his bright surroundings. Harry squinted, growing frustrated by his blurry vison, until he remembered his need for glasses, and groggily tried to sit up. But his hands felt oddly numb.

He heard as door open in the distance and froze, his body instantly going on alert. "Awake are you?" asked a voice, then came the blurry image of a figure- also in white. "About time"

Harry deducted that she must me a nurse, and watched her wearily for a moment before opening his mouth to reply. But all he could manage was a throaty gasp. The nurse seemed to pause her furious scribbling on her clipboard for a moment. And the next thing Harry knew, he felt the cool taste of water slide down his throat.

"Thank you," he murmured when he got some semblance of his voice back.

Harry wondering why he couldn't seem to move any part of his body. He tried to turn his head but even it, felt oddly heavy. His surroundings, were still blurry ans distorted and Harry remembered the absence of his glasses. "Glasses" he choked out. The nurse paused again, a long moment paused until he felt them pushed onto his face.

When he was finally able to see he surveyed the nurse who had moved to begin unwrapping the bandages off his chest. She seemed short from his perspective, looked to be around her mid 50's, had mousy brown hair which she pulled in a tight bun and had a no-nonsense air about her.

"How long have I been here?" he managed to whisper as she moved on to his other side.

"4 days," she responded curtly and Harry had to do a double take. Four days! That was a new record even for him. The nurse seemed to be mumbling to herself.

"Crushed leg, twisted arms, collapsed lung! What do you expect" she tissked angrily and Harry cringed as she pulled a little too hard on one of his bandages. "Would have **died** if Minerva had brought you here any later!"

_Minerva?_ Harry's ears perked up. "Professor McGonagall?" the nurse's head lifted in surprise, "She's alright then?" he asked, afraid for the answer. The last he saw of her she was dueling with Dolohov.

"Alright? Of course she is dear why wouldn't she be?" the nurse's brow furrowed as she gave him one last odd look before moving on to inspect his arms.

Harry tried again. "Where there any others?" he asked, "Did anyone else come in here injured?"

"Your in St. Mungo's dear, the _only_ people that come in here are injured." Harry had the distinct impression that the nurse was purposely avoiding his questions. He grew irritated.

"I mean," he forced between gritted teeth, "did anyone come in here...

"...as injured as you were?" she finished, turning to inspect the other side of his arm. He nodded, wincing at the pain accompanying sudden twist of his arm.

"No, I can't say they have dear." Harry bit back a gasp, did that mean they were all dead? The couldn't, they had been doing fine, unless more came...and they were outnumbered.

Harry shook out of his revere to catch the last bit of the nurses rant, " ...don't know what you kids get yourself's into these days."

He felt a flash of anger as the nurse looked at him, as if she expected him to apologize profusely and promise to never do it again. "How did you get those injuries boy?" she inquired.

Harry avoided her gaze and began to inspect the ceiling, though it was just as plain and white as the rest of the room. He wasn't going to talk about it. He was never going to about what happened. But try as he might he couldn't block out the memories that seemed keen to resurface.

He wasn't ready to face the world again, he wasn't sure if he ever would. Harry wasn't ready to tell Mr. Weasley it was his fault his family would never be full once more. Didn't want to know if there weren't any survivors.

At this thought he turned to the nurse who was currently shining a light from her wand, into each of his eyes. "Did I have any visitors?" he asked, afraid for the answer.

"Just one..." Harry felt his heart rate double. "He's outside at the moment I'll go get him."

As the nurse walked out of the room muttering about skele-grow and today's teenagers. Harry found himself wondering who his visitor was. Was it Lupin? He hoped that the last of the Marauder's survived, after all he had just found happiness with Tonk's, and she didn't deserve to lose him just yet. It wouldn't be any of the Weasley's, he wouldn't be surprised if they never wanted to speak to him again.

Harry was so engrossed in his thoughts, he didn't hear his door open and someone approach his bed. Not until they spoke.

"Ah, awake at last I see! We were wondering when you were going to come around."

Instantly Harry recognized the voice, and felt his blood run hot and cold at the same time. His eyes widened as he turned to face Albus Dumbledore. Half-moon glasses, crooked nose, sliver hair and all.

Albus Dumbledore his headmaster.

Albus Dumbledore the only wizard Voldemort had ever feared

Albus Dumbledore his mentor, the one who he had completed his mission for.

Albus Dumbledore, the man who he had seen _murdered_ in his last year.

With that last thought Harry's eyes rolled to the back of his head and he promptly fainted dead away.


	3. Chapter 3

Just fixing all the underlines

Here it is Chapter 3 of Harry Potter and the Second Chance, firstly I'd like to answer some questions and say thanks to :

larisa- I will right longer chapter's, hopefully this one's long enough for you. Sry there will be pairing of Harry/Giny. But thats in the late..late future.

_Me_/ Dragon'sCry-- thanks!

petites sorcière- thanks and I will get to the horcruxe part soon.

wolfawaken- of course...so sry must have been a misprint (lol)

Englishgirl / Serendipity9 / Emma-girl / Dot / Gryffindors / _girlfromiceland_ Fairy Blue / jessika black / GlowingSerenity - you guys made me want to continue this story! Thanks a bunch.

PxW- OMG do you know how much that website has helped me! You are seriously a lifesaver.

of course I'm not going to end every chapter with people fainting, though I should just to tick you off. Lol no I just wanted to point of the similarities b/w Harry & Lily.

Gregthezombie- wow lots of questions, the only one I can answer is why Albus is the only one to see him, he's the leader of the Order. The rest will come later on..sry

((((-----))))

If you had asked Albus a moment ago, he would have told you that of all the reactions he could have received, this was not one that he expected. He stared at the boy a moment longer, trying to figure out why his green eyes had widened in horror at the sight of him. Eyes which looked so familiar. In fact, Albus mused, the boy looked strikingly so much like a young marauder he knew. But James Potter had no siblings, and no living relatives since the death of his parents. Especially one who would be this young.

Unless...could it be?

The old headmaster blocked his train of thinking, no use bordering the impossible. No he will keep his suspicions to himself, if only to avoid reliving the past and reopening old wounds.

"Merlin!" cried a voice, and Albus turned to find the head nurse of the U-Ward walk in. She looked at Albus, then the boy, and turned her accusing eyes back to her old teacher. "What did you do?"

"I assure you Nora, that I merely stood in this spot right here and greeted him." his eyes twinkled with mirth as he surveyed his former student fighting to keep the amusement off her face.

"And he fainted?"

Albus tilted his head in agreement before turning back to the boy. "What can you tell me about him?" he asked

"Not much," she sighed, "after all he is in the Unknown Ward. When he woke up he asked me how long he's been here and if there were any _others_."

"Others?" Albus repeated.

Nora wrinkled her eyebrows in concentration before answering. "He asked if Minerva was alright...refused to answer why!" she shrugged, "seemed polite enough, but Albus never, never in all my years have I seen a case like this." she shuddered before continuing. " I mean, of course their have been others with injuries to this extent but never has one been sent to my ward, I assure you!"

"How bad was he?" Albus questioned.

Her eyes snapped back to him, Albus probed her mind lightly and was surprised to find...fear?

His interest was peaked, what could she had possibly found that would scare her?

She looked both ways before gesturing for him to follow her to her office. Albus understood the secrecy. If word got out to Belletrix that Nora was seen conversing with him. They would assume she was a member of the Order and most likely track her down. In truth Nora Filch was their connection here in St. Mungo's. She took care of any, if all the Order member's injured and handled all of their cases. Albus trusted her completely. Not only was she trained as a healer, but as a expert in forensics as well, she had a great mind for deduction.

Nora led him to a door at the back of her office, muttering a series of counter-spells under her breath and then inserting a hexagonal shaped key before the door finally opened. Albus raised his eyebrows slightly, curios as to what was in this room which required such great security.

The room was about twice the size of the office behind it, it shown of an eerie blue the source of which Albus could not determine. In the center, lay a long rectangular table that reached just below his waist. The table held many objects, the first of which Nora held up to be a shirt. A rather bloody one, that Albus recognized as the one the mysterious boy had worn.

"I trust you know what this is?" she quirked an eyebrow, then without waiting for a response disappeared behind a beaded curtain at the back of the room, talking the entire time. "Now, I went through all of the boy's things trying to find some sort of identification," she reappeared holding a long thin ruler-like object in one hand and a bottle in the other. "I ran the shirt through this Pharantarium potion," she gestured to the bottle which held a clear substance in it, " notice the different colors?"

Albus looked closely at the shirt, indeed he had already noticed this but simply wished to humor Nora. Her eyes shown of barely contained information and breathless excitement.

" Well the bright green, florescent color's running across the stomach are consistent with the gash he received across his abdomen, which was quite deep but didn't seem to be caused by a weapon but rather a spell, see the blue tinges around the edges? But I don't know of any spell that could do such a thing, and there hasn't been a case of such a curse reported, unless..."

Albus made a mental note to have a word with a former student on who he teaches his spell to, who knows perhaps Severus might know the boy himself.

"And the orange dear?" he interrupted. " I believe you told me the boys blood became green under the effects of the potion, does that mean..." he left his sentenced unfinished and locked eyes with Nora who was nodding gravely.

"Yes, it means that it's not his blood, in fact, all of these orange spots here show that this boy came into contact with someone who was bleeding heavily. Since it outnumbers even the green."

Albus's head swam with thousands of questions, but he settled for the most important one. "Any way to tell who the blood belongs to?"

" I thought that too, since the boy's obviously not in our system I took a sample of the orange, and ran it over ..." she paused.

"Any matches?" pressed Albus.

"Two," she sighed looking wistfully at the orange/green stained shirt, she fidgeted for a moment longer. " with a Molly and Fred Weasely."

((((-----))))

Nora watched her old professors brows disappear into the brim of his hat and rushed to clarify. "that's simply because we only have their blood samples in the system. Molly has been in here numerous times for childbirth, and Fred Weasely was emitted for a night because of certain missing body parts." she left her sentence unfinished hoping the implied imagery would be enough to lighten the mood, because Albus suddenly looked very grave and continued to stare at the objects on the table that were stripped from the boy.

"And your saying that it outnumbers even the green" he repeated, stroking his beard thoughtfully.

She nodded, unsure if she should continue. Albus continued to stare at the colorful garment as if it would reveal all of it's secrets to him, Nora wouldn't be surprised if it did. Never missed a thing that man, it was quite unsettling.

"What are you implying Nora?" he asked finally.

She took a deep breath and steadied herself before saying. "Albus, his shirt was nothing compared to what I found on his jeans and cloak. They were practically completely orange!" she took another calming voice before voicing what had been haunting her since Minerva had entered the doors of the U-Ward with this mysterious stranger in toe. "Whichever one of the Weasley's that this blood belonged to...judging by the way it's centered at this area..., and the amount...would not have survived!"

Dumbledore's only response was to raise his eyebrows once more, and nod understandably. It was times like these where Nora envied his calm.

"Whichever Weasley? Meaning it could be any of Molly's children?"

See? Never missed a thing.

She nodded "the way I tested for a match was to convert a small amount, of all of the blood sample's in our source-base to a gas and run them over a specific Velion. A highly reactive acid which can change it's chemical properties and it's reactive receptors. When I added a small amount of the orange blood, for example, any other type matching it soon after would cause the velion to violently react." she picked up the long, thin ruler-like object.

"We measure it's accuracy by how high the reaction reaches. Down here was Fred with a 20 percent match. In the middle here was Molly with a 50 percent match. None of them reached up here which is a perfect match. That leads me to conclude that it must be one of Molly's other children."

She turned back to find her old professor blinking down at her and realized she must of gotten carried away with her Healer's jargon.

"Ah!" he said at last, the humorous twinkle back in his eyes. "I will bring you the sample's off all Molly's children." he turned back to the table. "Hmm, I don't recall seeing the boy wearing a cloak.."

"Another strange thing, it was an invisibility cloak." she reached out and handed Albus a silvery-grey material, " these are rare and rather valuable, I wonder wear the boy got it?" She watched as Dumbledore held the water-woven cloak at eye length. Frown lines had appeared on his face and he seemed to be deep in thought. "Do you recognize it? Perhaps the boy stole it from someone..."

"No, this very same cloak is hidden safely away in my office at Hogwarts. There is no way the boy could have gotten a hold of it." he turned the cloak around to inspect the other side. " do you mind, Nora dear, if I take this with me?"

" of course not Albus. Maybe you could find something that I missed?"

He nodded once more before folding the material carefully and placing it into his pockets. " Anything else?"

"His hands had 3rd degree burns on them, from what? Your guess is as good as mine!" _probably better_, she thought. " his wand was burned into his skin and I had to pry it off." she picked up a wand that seemed to be pitch black. "I figured if you found out where it was purchased, then you might find out who it was purchased _to_." she handed him the wand.

"And lastly, the only other object I was able to access since there seems to be a rather powerful anti-theft charm on his other pocket, was this spare bit of parchment." she picked up a folded lump. "Doesn't seem to be dangerous but I'm certain there's some other use to it! Why don't you take it as well Albus?" the parchment soon joined the cloak in Dumbledore's pocket.

" Have you tried to remove the theft enchantments?" he questioned.

" Oh, no, no, no! terrible story of what happened to my cousin Argus when he tried to do the same. I would like to keep all of my hair thank you very much!"

"What an you tell me about the extent of the boy's injuries?" Albus inquired, following Nora out of the room and back into her office wear she picked up a folder off her desk.

"That's another thing...I mean I did the test three times...impossible." she continued mumbling like this as she handed Dumbledore a sheet out of the folder. "Standard Reveler Charm allowed me to make a list of spells and curses he might have been hit by."

"Might?"

"Well look for yourself Albus! That's impossible simply impossible! No one has ever...I must have done something wrong." she was adamant, as if she was trying to convince herself more than Albus.

He read down the list on the parchment, "then this means..."

"...but the charm is never wrong..."

" ...this boy survived the killing curse?"

Nora was shaking her head, of all her discoveries this one had disturbed her the most.

"Your certain about the rest?" Albus asked, as if it was every day that a person somehow survived _'avada kedavra'_. He studied the list quietly for some time, occasionally mumbling things under his breath. Nora caught a 'bordering the impossible' at one point. But then Dumbledore turned back to her as if waiting for her to continue.

Nora took her cue. " physically he was a mess, his entire left leg was crushed beyond repair by a heavy object, not a spell. I had to flush out all the bones and regrow them," she grimaced. " his rib was fractured, puncturing one of his lungs. His right arm was rotated completely, and his wrist twisted."

They were now standing back beside the bed, Albus still held the list firmly in his right hand. His eyes were traveling to each area as she described the injuries.

" there were two unusual scars that I also found." she lifted his hand to show to Albus. "When I was re-growing the skin on his hands I noticed some fading words on his right hand. looks to be caused by a blood-quill, horrific things those are. Magically slices the words onto the back of hand, and draws blood instead of ink! I'm most certain there illegal!"

"That they are, dear what did it say?" he couldn't tell because the hand was deeply bandaged.

"_I must not tell lies_"

((((-----))))

"_I must not tell lies_"

Albus nodded again. Lies? What where so great about these _lies _that a mere boy had to use a blood quill to imbedded it into his skin. It reminded Albus strongly of an overheard conversation between the Ministry and a toad-like women whose name he could never remember talking about leaving an 'impression'. Dumbledore detested blood-quills. It was he who passed the law to ban them.

Question, question thousands of questions and yet so little answers where running through his head. As much as he trusted Nora, he would not share his suspicions with her. She seemed to be having a hard time enough trying to accept that the mysterious boy had been subjected to all three of the unforgivable's.

"And the other scar?" Albus asked, he needed to get out of here soon so he could go over everything in the confines of his office. Needed to compare the cloaks, had to visit Ollivander's. Perhaps Fawkes would have some suggestions?

"On his forehead, was bleeding when he was brought in! I can't tell where it's come from. Very unusual, stopped bleeding but it wouldn't heal. Don't think its important though..."

Oh how wrong she was, this boy seemed to get stranger and stranger. Albus could immediately tell there was something off about that scar. It was thin shaped like a bolt of lightning. Wordlessly he cast his own revealer charm while Nora continued to talk about the boys other injuries.

"...at one point had to re-grow his entire arm from the elbow..."

Aha! Thought Albus studying the black mist that now hung above the scar. So it was a curse-scar! Interesting, very interesting indeed. Apparently Nora had yet to notice. Dumbledore decided to intervene before she gave him the boys entire medical history.

"Nora, I need you to do something for me..."

Thank's again for all the people who reviewed. I would love some ideas or suggestions. Just no Flames.

Hope I didn't bore you with all the medical talk? Took me sooo long to find funky names. lol.

Until next time. :-


	4. Chapter 4

HEY. Wow I know another update so quickly, don't expect this to be normal though. It's a long weekend and it's cold outside. Lol thanks a bunch for al those who reviewed again. I'm loving the suggestions. This is a Chap.4 re-write as promised, is a bit longer. Now to answer some questions.

When are they going to figure out that its Harry?

Well, it's going to be a while, I mean of course Dumbledore's going to try and figure it out. But people don't automatically say 'oh you must be from another world!'. he has to investigate first. Not to mention other obstacles which we will see.

What is Harry doing now?

He's sleeping, they didn't wake him up after he fainted. PS: before he was unconscious, now he's sleeping there's a difference.50 points to the person who can guess what happens to Harry when he sleeps! Lol.

Is Dumbledore Evil or Manipulative?

NO, No no! I got a private message asking if Dumbledore will be manipulative. The answer is no, I love Dumbledore. He's one of my favorite characters who seems to know everything. JK herself said that he is her voice in the book. Why do people like to bash him! takes deep calming breath. im ok now. Just needed to get that off my chest.

Alright I'm going to stop rambling now, hope you enjoy the following.

**He swayed her gently, her head resting on his shoulder. **

**Back and forth. Back and forth.**

**There was no music, yet they still danced on. Her red hair cascading through his fingers. A great feeling of content swept over him. **

**Back and forth. Back and forth.**

**But something nagged at the back of his head. Voices, distant but dangerous. He pushed them further back. And they still swayed.**

**Back and forth. Back and forth.**

**The voices grew louder, and louder until all Harry could hear was the screaming echoing inside his head. Until he realized something. **

**The screaming was not in his head.**

**Then the fire came, surrounding the two in a ring of heat. He instinctually cowered away from the fire as the ring grew closer, and closer.**

**His lungs filled with smoke as he look down to speak to the girl...warn her. Only to see her struggling against him.**

**_Let me go!_ She was saying. _Please!_ She begged.**

**But he couldn't, he didn't know why but he wouldn't let go of her...didn't want to.**

**The ring grew closer, she was screaming now. Hysterically pounding on his chest. **

_**Let me go! Let me go!**_

**Then she was burning. Her skin seemed to be the fire itself. His hands smoked and he released her with a shock. **

**But he shouldn't have.**

**The moment his hands let go of her, the ring seemed to pass right through him and surround her. He jumped back and stared at the fire licked up her body. He followed it's burning trail back to her face.**

**His vision fogged as her brown eyes locked onto his. She no longer struggled, her shoulders were slumped in defeat. Everything was blurry now. She opened her mouth to speak. Her small whisper seemed louder than any of the screaming.**

_**Should have let me go...**_

**The fire burned around her shoulders now. He was able to make out her wavering distorted hand being raised and lifted his own to meet them. But just as their fingertips met her hand crumbled away.**

_**Why didn't you let me go?**_

**Through his tears he could see the accusing sadness in her eyes...could hear the disappointment in her tone. **

**Then she was gone.**

**The screaming ceased. The fire burned out. The air cleared. All that remained was a lump of ash. **

**And Harry.**

**His hand still raised, clinging desperately at nothing. Ginny's last words echoing around him.**

_**Should have let me go...**_

((((-----))))

Somewhere, in Scotland, hidden from the rest of the world. Lays a castle. A large sanctuary which serves as a school for 9 months of the year. But now, as all the professor's had gone home for the summer, it lay empty. Except for one lone figure, pacing in his office.

He was very thin, tall and old, judging by his long white beard and hair. His long blue robes swept across the ground and his high heeled buckled boots shuffled along with them as he walked back and forth across the room.

Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore was disturbed. Very disturbed indeed.

"Oh for heaven's sake, will you stop your foolish pacing! Your giving me a headache." snapped a portrait of one of the previous headmaster.

Albus paused for a moment to look up at the haughty, expectant expression on Phineas Nigellus's face. Normally he would chuckle merrily and banter with the great Black about the fact that he is now deceased, and therefore could not receive headache's... but not today. Oh no, today he had too much to think about.

Phineas let out a disgruntled huff as the current headmaster blatantly ignored him, only to head towards the side table for what seemed like the 100th time that day. His usually spread out silver instrument's and contrapments, had all been pushed aside to make room for the newest objects of interest. That had been troubling the old headmaster dearly.

Albus levitated the two cloaks once more. They seemed to be exactly the same, granted that one of them still had a heavy amount of dark red stain on it. Yet that one came from the mysterious boy in room #27 of the U-Ward. And the other, given to him for safekeeping, from James Potter. It was common knowledge that no two magical objects are ever exactly the same. And yet...here were two simple invisibility cloak's proving one of the wizarding worlds most ancient rules, wrong.

"_Ostendo_" he tried one more, but nothing happened. Not even a glimmer, a ripple. The spell was supposed to indicate the differences between two objects. (Invented by an impatient witch wanting to tell the differences between her twins. the spell would cause one's ear to flicker and the other's nose to do the same). No doubt about it, the cloaks were exact duplicates. Same size shape color, texture everything!

But the cloaks where not only what troubled the headmaster.

He set the materials down as his eyes traveled to the list that Nora had given him. Before he had merely skimmed the page for not wanting any of his reactions to alarm her. But now, having had the time to study and read it carefully. His inference's had mirrored hers.

Reading down the list Albus acknowledged the large number of dark curses to which the boy had been subjected to at one point in his life. Most of which Albus himself, knew only of through his experiences with Grindelwald. Obviously the boy had been in contact with a large amount of dark arts, and had been in many duels... but with who? And more importantly why? There hadn't been any large threats or cause for alarm in the past few years, not including the Lestrange's. Where had this boy come from?

Albus's brow creased as he read down the list once more. All three, he thought, all three unforgivable's. Remarkable...but also impossible.

'_Yes I do think I will keep this information to myself_ ' he thought, at least until he could determine how the boy had survived...if there was something out there that could counter-act the amount of immense hate used to drive the killing curse... yes perhaps this boy could serve to be more useful.

But why was the killing curse sent towards him in the first place? Why did someone want his to die? More importantly, did he deserve to die?

Albus let out a sigh of vexation. It seemed as if his research had only served to bring up more questions, not answer the ones he had this morning.

He turned his gaze to the last two objects. The first looked to be a harmless bit of parchment, but as his old colleague Nicolas Flamel used to say _'Appearances's are almost always deceiving'_ what looks good is probably bad, and vise-versa. So he had to be careful.

Dumbledore had vaguely remembered, (and had had to consult his pensieve to remember) Filch, the caretaker, showing him this same parchment around 20 years ago during one of their bimonthly checkups. _'There's something wrong with it headmaster I'm sure of it!'_ Filch had responded when Dumbledore had merely chuckled at the thought of an innocent spare bit of parchment being put into the drawer marked "Confiscated and Highly Dangerous". _'innocent?'_ Filch had scoffed, _'nothing that belongs to those marauder brats is innocent!'_. Sure enough Dumbledore had sensed the distinct magic traces on that parchment belonging to Potter and Black.

This paper however, still contained those traces, however very faint they where. The dominant magical aura radiating off the parchment, Albus theorized, must belong to the boy. Although it did seem oddly familiar with Potter's.

But that was where things seized to make sense.

For one, Filch had barley remembered the confiscated object, complaining that he seemed to confiscate something everyday with marauder hell spawn running around. Also when Albus had checked the drawer, the parchment was not there. This would seem normal since it was, in actuality sitting on a side table in his office. But Albus had though that, as with the cloaks, an identical bit of parchment would have been found as well.

But how had the boy gotten a hold of it? Perhaps a student had stolen it and it had found it's way to the boy, whom which no-one knew ? The chances of that seemed impossible.

But there were a lot of aspects about the stranger that were just that. Impossible.

Albus looked towards the last object that was found...attached to the boy. A wand...or what was left of one for that matter. He lifted up the halved/burned stick and walked back to his desk.

Sinking back into his seat slowly and stroking his beard thoughtfully as he placed the wand on the desk before him. Yes the wand might have been the most confusing of all. Especially for one like Dumbledore, who knew close to nothing about the origin of wands. Except for the one time he donated two of Fakes feathers to Ollivander's. Who, by the way, he had taken this wand to, to analyze. Dumbledore sighed again as he replayed the conversation with the old wand-maker in his head.

'_Ah! Dumbledore! If I remember correctly 7 inch...' _

'_Yes yes Olaf. No need to greet me by my wand type all the time, a simple hello Albus would do.'_

'_Of course, what can I do for you Albus, haven't snapped your wand again have you? I'll tell you now, 2 phoenix feathers wont do it this time to get me to fix that again_! _Much easier to simply get a new one, much cheaper too.'_

'_No, no, my wand is in perfect condition. In fact I came here to ask you to inspect this wand right here. Did you sell it? Could remember, if you did, who you sold it too?'_

'_Hmm...' Olaf Ollivander had raised his eyebrows at the wands condition, but before he could ask Dumbledore had said._

'_I must ask you not to question where I obtained that wand, for I would be most unable to tell you.'_

'_Yes of course' Olaf chuckled, '...hmmm. Belonged to a male was it?' Dumbledore's raised eyebrows was all the response he got. 'I'm going to take this to the back to extract it's core, one moment Albus.'_

_Five minuets later a very flustered looking Ollivander began pulling box after box out of the walls lined floor to ceiling with narrow wand boxes. As if looking for something. He pulled out a particular box and a look of triumph had crossed his face before turning ashen. Without a word Ollivander had disappeared into the back of the shop once more, box in hand. Only seconds passed before Albus heard an 'Impossible!'_

Impossible. Inconceivable Strange. Unbelievable.

Those seemed to be the reactions of all involved in this case. Even Albus himself had never been as confused as he was now.

The wand that had been peeled out of the boys hands, had a core of a phoenix feather. It was also 11 inch Holly which was, as Ollivander put it _'a rare and unusual combination'_ Not only that, but the phoenix feather used had been one from Fakes, Dumbledore's phoenix. Who had only given 2 feathers, both used to make wands by Ollivander. One sold to a boy named Tom Riddle. The other... still sitting right there in his store. Ollivander had told him all of this with a mixture of fear and excitement.

No two wands where the same, but yet again, this stranger had proved them wrong.

And now, 4 hours later, the old head master wondered what caused him to pursue this case in the first place. Was it because the boy had apparted..no _appeared _in thin air, in a heavily warded house in the middle of an order meeting? Or was it the boy's initial reaction to him?

4 hours Albus had been tracking down, questioning, testing and replaying. Yet..he was still clueless to the boy's identity as he was when he started.

A duplicated cloak, an old bit of parchment, an unsold wand, and the three unforgivable's was all he had.

Albus sighed again.

"Oh for heavens sake!"

((((-----))))

**The lump began to stir. Harry stared at the pile of ashes-that had moments before been a person-for some reason, expecting to see a baby phoenix being reborn from them.**

**Instead a fully grown Fawkes stood before him. The ashes blown away by an unknown source. The phoenix tilted it's head to look up at Harry. And that's when he noticed the glistening tracks down its beak. The phoenix was crying. Drop after drop, pouring out of its eyes.**

**_Why are you crying?_ Harry asked. **

**Fawkes had opened his mouth as if to respond. And out came...music.**

**The phoenix song, the same song that had played at Dumbledore's funeral. And just like before the music had it's same effect on Harry.**

**A sense of great loss ran through him. Harry's tears ran freely now, just as the Phoenix's. And then he was running. Had turned away from the depressed Fawkes. Fled from the heart breaking music.**

**He ran and ran, but the music followed. The further away he ran, the louder the music got, until it filled the air around him. Screeched in his ears so loudly** **that he clamped his hands over them in a desperate attempt to block it out.**

**Yet it still grew louder, the sound reverberating through his body and driving Harry to his knees.**

**The thump of his legs making contact with the floor went unheard. He couldn't hear anything but the music.**

**The phoenix song seemed to mock him now, no longer soothing. Harry wanted to curl up in a ball and hide from the world. The song carried with it the message of failure, as it vibrated the air around him.**

**Harry remembered what Hermione had said about the Phoenix song, how it '_increased courage for the pure of heart, and struck fear into the hearts of the impure.'_**

'**_No!' _Harry yelled, '_I'm not impure!'_**

**If possible, the music increased in volume. To the point where Harry couldn't even hear his own voice. **

'**_STOP IT!'_ he yelled. '_QUIET! QUIET! QUIET!'_**

**Then it stopped. The air still ringed, but the music was gone.**

**But the silence, proved to be more deafening than the sound.**

((((-----))))

Lily Potter was currently sitting alone in a room, an old photo album resting gently on her lap as she surveyed her surroundings. It was Harry's old nursery. Or as the children had dubbed it, the Forbidden Room.

Indeed it was forbidden, kept locked at all times for fear that one of the kids might damage something. Or worse, change it. It was cleaned continually by their house-elf. And for that Lily was grateful. The sight of a dusty crib and toy shelf would have driven her grief home.

But the sight of the empty cot seemed to do that all on its own.

Lily had barely been in here herself. Only found the courage to do so when she was pregnant with Rose. But hadn't had the strength to change the decorations to be a girls nursery. And so another room had been added, and this one remained untouched. All of Harry's things in the exact same position as when he left. The toy he had thrown across the room still lay there as if glued to the floor.

Lily chocked back a sob of guilt. She had been thinking about Harry everyday for the past week. Everything seemed to remind her of him. It was just like the months after he'd...left.

'_They were wrong'_, Lily thought. _'It doesn't get better with time'._

Lily sighed out loud, she didn't know why she kept dwelling on the past, locking herself in this room. She'd thought that she had gotten over everything when Roseleen was born. When she swore that she would give her life before anything happened to this baby.

Like she hadn't been able to with Harry.

Lily flipped through the book on her lap. A photo album given to her by James. It was magically enhanced so that it stretched to fit in up to 5000 pages of pictures. But looked the same on the outside.

It was supposed to be for Harry's life.

Lily had planned on taking photos of every major event for her first child. Even something as trivial as his first Hogesmead trip. She had even separated the album into years.

But they had only gotten up to his first year. Before he could even crawl properly, let alone walk. Up until his first Halloween. Lily paused at this picture. James had dressed him up that day as a snitch. The picture showed herself laughing as Harry began to roll out of the picture, looking like a large round gold ball. She could see the strain around her own eyes even as she laughed. As if she knew what was going to happen that night.

Lily slammed the album shut as she stifled another cry. Why was she doing this to herself?

She had been having nightmares the past week as well. Dreams where a rat ran around and around her little boy, as he raised his tiny little hands and cried out for her. Before a robed figure with a high chilling laugh would pick him up instead. And Lily would wake up screaming _No!_

It had all started when that boy had appeared in that light. Lily mused, the one who looked so much like the boy who used to ruffle up his hair to get her attention.

She hadn't told anyone though, instead she pretended that she had fainted because she felt light headed, and jokingly blamed Sirius.

How could she tell them? They would all think she was crazy. Poor Lily, they'd say, she lost her son a week before today years ago and now she's seeing things...

And cleaning with broomstick's.

Subconsciously Lily knew that she was being to harsh. She knew those people, trusted each one with her life too. But she hated the looks of pity they gave her sometimes. Despised the way the walked eggshells around her, as if she would crack at any time.

Downstairs she heard the creak of the front door opening, and the muffled voice of her husband speaking.

With a last look around the nursery. Lily gently replaced the album back onto the shelf and left the room. As she softly padded down the stairs she recognized the voice of Sirius and made her way into the sitting room.

Walking in she found James with his back towards her, just putting on his cloak, an impatient Sirius waiting at the door.

"Going somewhere?" she asked loudly, reveling in the yelp of surprise James gave before turning to face her.

"Yeah, we were just called, the Department of Magical Containment said they needed their best Auras on the job and called us out." he replied with a cocky grin.

"And you were going to leave _without _telling me?" she pressed on, ignoring Sirius's exaggerated eye role.

"We figured I'd be back before you could miss me" he answered cheekily.

Lily was not impresses.

"Jaaaaaaaaaames..." Sirius indicated his watch pointedly.

"Got-to-go-love-you" James said in a rush, kissing Lily briefly on the cheek, rushing out the door and apparting before she could formulate a response.

Lily glared accusingly at the door for a moment before resigning herself to defeat and curling up on the couch to read on of her books.

She'll get him back later

((((-----))))


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer- Nothing belongs to me yada yada yada. I'm just borrowing..plz don't sue me.

This chapters kinda depressing, don't blame me. Blame the boy with the crappy life.

((((-----))))

**Harry cautiously peaked out from under the safety of his arms. Expecting to see a ring of fire around him again. Or at worst, another pile of ashes. But as he raised his head and looked around he saw...nothing.**

**Just a large stretch of land, surrounded by tall hills. And Harry was smack dab in the center of it all. Just as he pushed himself back onto his feet he heard a cough. It was light, very faint...yet it was still a cough. **

**And that meant someone else was here.**

**Harry whipped his head around trying to find it's source but he couldn't. The hills were too high for him to see past them. And they surrounded him at all sides.**

**There it was again. A bit louder this time. _Cough, cough!_**

**Harry raced up one of the hills where he was sure the sound had come from, as fast as his legs could carry him.**

**He reached the top and there he saw...Ron? And Hermione?**

**In fact, it seemed like everyone he knew at one point in his life were up on this hill. The coughing grew louder and Harry saw that it wasn't just Ron and Hermione, everyone was coughing, moaning...clutching their stomachs in pain.**

**_Ron? _He was on all fours, wheezing and hacking deeply.Like a diseased cat. **

**Harry's voice quivered as he took a few steps towards him. _Mate? You OK?_**

**Ron peered up at Harry, the act itself seeming to take up a great amount of strength. _You!_**

**He hissed, before his body gave one last shudder and collapsed, face down on the floor.**

**And somehow Harry knew, he wasn't getting back up.**

**_Why?_ Hermione this time, laying beside Ron. Straining to watch as Harry stumbled away. Because...the same thing was happening to her.**

**And to the Weasely's, and to Lupin...and Hagrid. All around him his freinds and family were falling. Corpses of those he knew littered the floor. Dying screams let loose in the air.**

**And once again Harry found himself running. Stumbling backwards over the collapsed bodies, because he couldn't tear his eyes away from the masses.**

**Watched in some morbid fascination as they all fell. Each with a sickening _thud _as they hit the floor.**

**His foot slipped, the rocks coming loose under his sole. And Harry knew he had reached the edge...the end. Where the hill ceased into nothing. **

**Harry turned back again, balancing himself from tilting into the black abyss.**

**And out of the throngs walked a single figure. Dressed head to toe in black. Heading straight for Harry.**

**As it walked past, the corpses suddenly became graves, the pain drenched coughing turned to sorrow filled crying. **

**In only moments, it stood before him. A black gauze covering where it's face was supposed to be. The figure slowly raised a glove covered hand. **

**Harry's instincts were screaming at him to run.**

**But he watched, as if in a trance, as the hand, turned into itself and lifted it's black veil.**

**_Ginn.. _She pressed a finger to his lips, effectively silencing him. **

**Tilting her head lightly, she regarded him sadly. _Your like a plague Harry. _She said slowly...softly, gesturing to the coffins that where lowering to the ground. _And everyone you love..._**

_**No!**_

**The coffins disappeared from view, _Gets infected._**

_**NOOO!**_

**Then she pushed him back. His feet slid off the edge and he fell. Down...down.**

**The black clad figure getting smaller and smaller. Until he could see the edge no more.**

**As he fell, Harry felt emotion after emotion pass through him. Hurt, betrayal, disappointment...guilt.**

**As he fell, Harry's feelings blended together until he couldn't differ one from the other. Anger equaled pain.**

**But as he fell. Harry closed his eyes, and welcomed death.**

((((-----))))

"Oh for heavens sake!"

Albus looked up to see that his quiet musings where once again interrupted by Phineas Nigellus.

"Problem Phineas?" he asked, expecting a cutting remark in return. He was not disappointed.

"Apart from your useless whining?" Phineas drawled.

Dumbledore beamed amusingly, and grabbed at the much needed distraction. "I wasn't aware that I was whining." he replied, levitating the wand back to the side table.

Phineas scoffed lightly, " Yes well..."

"Albus!" shrieked another portrait urgently.

Dumbledore turned to face the portrait of Dilys Derwent. Her long silver ringlets bouncing with trepidation. "What is it Dilys?"

Phineas had scoffed louder this time at being interrupted, and tried unsuccessfully to glare at the previous female headmistress.

"The boy! Nora...emergency..seizure !" her words all came out in a rush.

Dumbledore kept his calm exterior, "slow down Dilys, tell me what happened."

The headmistress took a few calming breaths. Albus wondered what could have possibly happened. He'd sent her to her other portrait in the St. Mungo's main admitting area. So that she could keep watch of who-if anyone- came to visit the boy. And so Nora could have a quick means to reach him.

"The boy, the one you've assigned me to watch for. He's having some sort of seizure from what I could gather. Things blowing apart, up and away..it's horrible! They've had to evacuate the entire U-ward!"

"Have they contacted the Ministry?" Dumbledore inquired.

"Level 3, Department of Magical Containment Division. Already contacted, and specifically requested for their best Auror's." replied a sallow faced portrait with a fringe.

"Thank you Everard." Albus said, looking at the other portrait he'd assigned at the Ministry of Magic.

"Fudge is asking for you to take care of this..._situation_. Even though he'd already sent for Potter and Black" Everard continued, the condescending sneer apparent in his voice.

"Same on this end," added Dilys "Nora's frantic Albus."

"Tell Fudge he has no need to worry," Dumbledore turned to Dilys as Everard walked out of his portrait. "And inform Nora that I will be their shortly, but the best are on their way."

Phineas scoffed again. Albus found himself counting to 5 inside his head before turning back to his portrait. "Something you wanted to say Nigellus?"

That should have been a warning to him. Dumbledore only used last names when he was displeased.

But Phineas either chose to ignore the strained question, or didn't hear it. Either way, "Yes I find it hard to believe that my great-great-grandson--the last of the Black's, would be 'one of the best' Auror's. Apparently their standards's have lowered."

Dumbledore didn't even acknowledge Phineas, simply walked over to the fireplace, shaking his head sadly.

Then in a burst of green he too was gone.

((((-----))))

**He was still falling, the drop never ending. Weightless.**

**_Don't give up Harry... _a familiar voice, but he just couldn't place it.**

**_Haarryyy_ He ignored it still, waiting for his inevitable fall to the ground. For the crack of his skull... for it all to end.**

**_Haaaarrrryyyyyy!_ more urgent now, as if the voice was pleading? _Please don't give up._**

**He knew the voice now, had only heard it twice before, but would recognize it anywhere. The soft trinkle, like music to his ears. **

**His mother**

**_Open your eyes Harry. _He did, and found he was no longer falling, in fact he was being held up from the ground, by something...he didn't know what. It was as if he was floating, and he strained to hear his mother again.**

**Nothing, no sound...no soothing voice. He tried to move his head but he couldn't. Couldn't move his hands or legs either. Struggle all he might. He was paralyzed.**

**Looking straight ahead, his eyes locked on to red eyes with slit pupils. Gleamed at him through the darkness. The things nose flared slightly as it grinned evilly in the darkness.**

**Harry felt a chill run through him. It's mouth opened and... _please don't give up Harry! _His mothers voice coming from it's mouth. _Please Harry!_**

**A cold shrill laughter filled the air, Harry's eyes widened in horror at the familiar laughter. The laughter that had constantly tormented him. Ridiculed his efforts. Sneered at his pain. The laughter that had rang..right until the end.**

**The end, that's right. It was supposed to be gone, Why Wasn't It Gone! _WHY WONT YOU DIE!_**

**_because Harry_ his mothers voice again. _I will always be a part of you_**

**And that' when he started to scream.**

((((-----))))

A/N– teehee kind of ran out of ideas near the end there. Hope you enjoyed.

Till next time :- 


	6. Chapter 6

(sneaks a peek out from behind her hands) is it safe to come out?

OMG, I'm so, so, so, so, so sorry. It's been like two months I think since I last updated?

Sorry, its was just last days of school, and graduating, and then diplomas. I had no time what-so-ever. But now it's summer! Which hopefully means more updates. And no more school...except for my summer school. : nervous laugh

Thank you all for reviewing, I finally signed in and I'm like Woah! 90 reviews! Yay! They like me the really really like me! lol. Thanks for the encouragement guys!

Anyway..I'm not done this chapter but I felt bad leaving you all hanging so this is just a preview. Criticism and comments most welcome and appreciated. Enjoy!

PS: I reposted all the chapters because they all had little mistakes- some changes were made. Nothing major but since I've been gone for so long you guys might want to go back and re-read?

I promise the next update will come soon.

((((-----))))

"What do you mean he's awake?" cried Lily shrilly.

"As in he's opened his eyes-left the dream world, has regained consciousness-**awake**" Sirius snapped back irritated.

He had good reason to be more short tempered than usual. He and James had just spent the entire night (and a bit of the morning to-Sirius noticed with a wince at the clock) at St. Mungo's. and when things had finally moved into some sense of stability-they were given the OK to head home.

James- not wanting to deal with the barrage of questions from his pissed off wife himself, had begged Sirius to accompany him home. And Sirius, being the companionate, sympathetic friend he was-agreed.

The theat to tell Lily who had really broke her priceless family heirloom by throwing a quaffle around the house (after she'd specifically banned indoor Quidditch), had nothing to do with the decision.

"What..wait when!" she asked, finally deciding on a question and turning her gaze to her husband.

James gave a weary sigh, "today, I don't know what time specifically. But things got so out of hand down there that the Department of Magical Containment had to call in Auror's. Us to be specific." He ran his hand through his hair, a bad habit he'd never seemed to get rid of. "Dumbledore pulled me aside and told me that he himself, had been called in because of an MPD."

Sirius frowned. This was something James had conveniently forgot to mention. "An MPD?" he repeated, clueless as to what that could stand for. Was that why the old headmaster had been there? Sirius had only caught a glimpse of him while chasing down a frantic unknown who'd thought the world was ending. "What do you mean by and MPD?"

Lily shot him an exasperated look, "a _major power_ _disturbance_." she said as if it were the most common thing in the world. "It's when a large amount of power is emitted suddenly in a certain area, disturbing the balance of power _in _that area."

This would have been enough for Sirius, but Lily- being the human encyclopedia she was, had to continue.

"I remember reading about it somewhere, usually areas like Hogwarts are prone to power disturbances-being a magical stronghold itself. But even there, the discrepancies are uncommon and safeguards are put in place to contain them..." Sirius remembered Dumbledore surrounding the boy's room with strange poles that contained crystals and the tops. "Though they don't usually work." now he remembered the crystals shattering after only ten minuets. "Though and MPD is still really rare and doesn't happen that often because it requires immense magical energy. All the pressure builds up until it finds a means to release, usually all the energy simply explodes but sometimes..."

Sirius blinked cluelessly at Lily. Trying to comprehend the verbal essay she was spewing. He exchanged a mixed look of amusement/bewilderment with James.

"Do you see the way her eyes glaze over whenever she talks about books?" he stated-interrupting Lily's dictation.

James let out a small chuckle (which he vainly tried to cover up with a cough) and quickly intervened before things got out of hand. Lily looked as if she could strangle Sirius with her own bare hands.

Though whether it was because he offended her with his joke-or because she didn't get to finish her speech, was unclear.

"Your exactly right dear..."

'_Flattery?' _Sirius thought, _'how very prongs-like'_

"That's basically what happened. It started when some of the nurses heard screaming and decided to investigate. They located the source to be room #27, our mystery boy. Problem was, they couldn't enter his room. There was some sort of barrier around it-so the healers couldn't stabilize him." James shook his head tiredly at the memory.

Sirius couldn't blame him, the boy had been shrieking like a banshee.

"It was horrible just stand there and listen, not being able to do anything about it." James continued. Lily's lips had moved to form a question but James intercepted, "by the time Sirius and I got there- a shouting patient where the least of our worries. It was simply put- complete and utter chaos."

"Chaos?" Lily repeated, "what do you mean by complete chaos?"

'_Wonderful' _Sirius thought sardonically, _'the women chooses today of all days to act like one of those bloody muggle birds that repeats everything you say back to you.'_

"This so called 'MPD' or whatever the ruddy hell you want to call it," Sirius decided to pitch in, "caused all the cells in the U-Ward to open. All of the patients to run about screeching. All inanimate objects to suddenly-become animate. File cabinets spilled out all their folders, causing a whirlwind of parchments and ink. Doors slammed open and shut-open and shut _repeatedly_. Any and all types of glass, crystal and mirror's shattered and burst. Complete and utter **chaos.**"

Not only had Sirius had to deal with the hysterical nurses, try not to get skewered by random flying objects, and endure the painful screaming of the mystery boy through the night. He also had to chase down each and every unknown.

To say that he was tired and irritated, would be an understatement. "That clear enough for you Lily?" he asked sarcastically. Slumping back into a chair.

"He was screaming the entire time?" Lily gasped, cupping a hand over her mouth. "How horrible."

Sirius had to fight the urge not to roll his eyes- unfortunately he lost.

"Is he alright? What happened to him? Will he be OK?" she asked-her voice raised a pitch after each question. Causing both James and Sirius to wince painfully.

James gave another sigh as he followed Sirius and flopped back into hi own armchair. Sinking low into the cushions he gave content groan. As James began to shift in order to get more comfortable, Lily's very small amount of patience ran out.

Now Sirius _could_ have answered her questions, but he like to watch her squirm. Who says misery doesn't love company?

"Well?" she finally snapped.

"Oh, he'll be fine..." James replied airily, not noticing how Lily seemed to hang on his every word. "The boy woke up, but Nora-head Healer at the ward forbid any of us to see him- even Dumbledore."

Sirius had to smile at the memory of a short plump women declaring her patient off-limits and daring Dumbledore to defy her.

"But as far as we know, the boy will be fine..." James paused at this, "well better than how he was when he first came in I suppose." he added as an afterthought. "Though they had to move him to another area- room #27 of the U-Ward exists only as a very large whole in the wall at the moment. Completely destroyed it was..." James trailed off.

Much to Lily's frustration, "when are you going to go back there?" she asked in an obviously controlled tone of voice.

"Tomorrow- well today I guess, this evening. Their going to interrogate him..

"Interrogate!" Lily repeated shrilly, "like he's some sort of a criminal."

As Sirius winced, he wondered again why she cared so much. " there just going to ask him standard questions like say- _who are you?_" he answered, "nothing accusatory or criminal."

Lily didn't look convinced, "I want to be there," she stated after a moment of hesitation.

James shot Sirius an exasperated glance that clearly said '_look what I have to deal with'. _Sirius replied with a look that said, '_you're the one that married her'._

"Lil's you can't be there, I mean- we don't know anything about this boy except that he has extreme bouts of magical discharge under duress. You yourself said and MPD requires immense amounts of magical energy, and this boy did one in his sleep! I just don't want to put you in any dangerous situations. Why don't you let the trained professionals handle him and then wait for the go-ahead. Alright?"

If Sirius wasn't dog tired (pardon the pun), he'd applaud James on his spectacularly smooth turn-down. The man should write a book.

But Lily wasn't having none of it, " No- I want to see him today." she pressed.

Sirius quirked an eyebrow- Lily seemed determined, and a little desperate to find out as much as she could about the strange boy. Question was why?

Sirius asked her just that.

((((-----))))

"Why are you so interested in this boy anyhow?" Sirius questioned.

Lily faltered- was she that obvious that even Sirius could feel her urgency? That oblivious of her double motives? Or was Sirius just making a wild guess?

She cursed herself for not being more tactful. She'd figured she could get a lot more information out of James when he was sleep deprived. Unfortunately there was an obstacle she hadn't counted on. Sirius.

She cursed him for being too damn observant. Then cursed her husband for bringing reinforcements along in the first place.

Both said men where still looking at Lily and she realized she still hadn't answered Sirius's question.

Lily flustered-should she tell them her suspicions? _No!_ Came the immediate response from her conscious. _Of course not!_ She looked at her husband. James eyes now only held a slight curiosity. But she knew that the hazel depths would change into worry the moment she told him. Worry and maybe a bit of fear as well.

Merlin, she was even scaring herself.

Lily decided for the easiest approach- anger. "Excuse me if I want to follow up on a young boy who dropped literally out of no-where in my heavily warded home half dead. What was I thinking!" her voice dripped with sarcasm.

James backed down but Sirius was insatiable. "There's a difference between idle curiosity and then desperate anxiousness Lily." he said, "why are you so interested in this boy?"

Lily faltered again. She decided to tell him part of her worried. "There's something about that boy. Did you guys not feel it as well?" two pairs of raised eyebrows was all she got in response.

"Call it woman's intuition, call it what ever but there's more to that boy than meets the eye." still all she received were blank looks from the two men in front of her. "He...he had a scar!" she was grasping at snitches now, " a scar on his forehead that was bleeding did you notice that?"

"Right of course! James a scar on his forehead- how did we ever miss that?"

It took Lily a beat to realize Sirius was being sarcastic. She glared at him angrily, but he just grinned back. Having been on the receiving end of her glares for many years now- he'd developed some sort of immunity.

"Sorry Lil's we were too busy wondering if his arms should be in that angle the first time, and if he'd stop screaming the second."

The mens laughter rang out as Lily simply gestured rudely to Sirius on her way storming out of the sitting room.

How in the world did she think for a moment they'd understand?

* * *

like I said preview-sr I couldn;t come up with a long chapter after so long Hiatus.

Till next time


	7. Chapter 7

Not going to make any excuses, this review is thanks to my girl Bebe. She bitched and bitched and here we are.

Recap (for those who don't wasn't to go back and read)

-Harry nightmare

-MPD, James & Sirius called

-Dumbledore tries to solve mystery of cannon Harry Potter

(-----)

The room was silent as he entered, empty but for the small bed that stood out starkly against its surroundings, and for the small figure hunched within it.

As in the previous room, this one had the same bright white walls, ceiling and floor.

As in the old settings, this room held a narrow bed in its centre.

But unlike the old room, 2 thick enchanted metal chains protruding from behind the bed to clamp around both the hunched figures wrists. Repressors attached at the ends to absorb any magic released.

A barbarous but necessary precaution, thought the stranger. The destroyed section of the U-Ward, starting from Ward-27 and pushing outward like invisible fists demolishing all that it came into contact with, was proof enough for him.

The man closed the door with an audible click, and the boy noticed- hidden behind his overgrown fringe- that the opening dissolved back into its surroundings, leaving no hint of its presence in the first place.

Like magic. He thought sardonically.

Soft footsteps padded silently towards the boy, stopping short at the foot of the bed.

The stranger was silent for a while, then finally, "I sincerely regret the use of the chains, but they are for your own safety as well as ours" his voice seemed to echo in the small room. "Your healer informed me that you managed to disrupt the tissue repair potions and have re-opened some of your wounds as well."

No response, the man studied the boy for another moment, thinking him a corpse if not for the steady rise and fall of his chest.

He forged on "she also told me of your refusal to take any healing potions, remedies or even any food itself."

Again no response, the silence stretched. The old man decided to try a new tactic.

"Are you going to ignore me forever, because I must warn you I have endless patience and can prattle on for hours if not interrupted."

A slight shift, barely a move of the head, but enough to allow the old mans twinkling eyes to meet the boys narrowed ones beneath his fringe.

The old man bent forward, over the footboard so that he was now at eye-level with the boy. "What are you thinking?" he mused allowed peering intently into the emerald depths.

"I'm thinking," the boys voice though gruff with misuse, still managed to drip with contempt. "Why the hell can't I shut-up a figment of my imagination"

The old man reeled back, not so much because of the boys language, but because of his words itself. His lips twitched as if suppressing a smile. "I have been called a lot of things in my lifetime, but a figment of your imagination? I think not," he paused to stare down at the boy once more, "but why would you think so?"

For a moment it seemed as the boy would not respond, then "I may have accepted that I've gone partially mad," he croaked, "but I will _not_ carry conversations with myself."

At that, the boy turned his head to face the sidewall, a clear indication that he no longer wished to talk, or to listen either.

The amusement dropped from the old mans face " I assure you, that I am as real a you are. If not, could I talk to you as I am? Walk and open doors as I do?" he tapped the edge of the bed frame, "touch animate objects as I can? Is it reasonable that I can possibly do all this if I was merely a, how did you put it, a figment_ of your imagination_?"

A harsh laugh sounded from the boy, " how should I know? I'm knew to all this..." he laughed again, a hollow sound that chilled the old man to bone, " didn't get the bloody memo...

"The only thing I know for certain," he continued, his voice suddenly devoid of any emotion, " is that you can't be here."

The old man hurried to the boys side, kneeling so that they were once more eye-to-eye. He raised his right hand in plain view for him. " Could something not real then..." he loosened the brooch from his cloak and used it's point to prick a point in the middle of the palm, " could it bleed?" the pinprick began to turn red as blood welled up inside it.

The boys face, which held bitter decisiveness only moments before, hardened visibly. He followed the tiny red trail as it mad its way down the old mans palm, down until one, no _two _droplets of blood landed with tiny splotches on the white tiles. Confusion flashed in the boys green eyes.

Then he sighed warily, closing his eyes as if expecting the worse and simply not having enough energy to care any more. "Polyjuice then?"

A frown marred the old mans features once more, "polyjuice? Goodness no, foul concoction that. No, no dear boy I am who I say I am,"

A scoff, "you are who you say you are?" the old man nodded though the boy still had his eyes closed.

They snapped open suddenly, narrowed their gaze on the twin droplets on the floor, " then answer me this," he spoke carefully, steadily. But the old man noticed his hands clenching the sheets into fists. " You..." a pause, " the real Albus Dumbledore, has a scar on his body," he corrected lifted his gaze to the old mans, "tell me where is it, and what is it shaped like."

The old man didn't hesitate smiling delightfully, " I have a scar the shape of London underground, on the back of my left knee. Quite useless really since I can't seem to angle my leg enough to ever put it to use"

The boys eyes widened then narrowed once more, "you could have gotten that of the back of a chocolate frog card." he stated distrustfully.

"Then why did you ask me about it in the first place?" the old man responded, eyes twinkling one more, the boy broke eye contact and glared at the sheets around his knees.

Silence, long and loaded "how about this," the boy finally said, " you once brought a boy from a muggle orphanage to Hogwarts, who is..." another pause, "_was_ he, and who did he become?"

The old man paused to study the figure on the bed, an odd question. Yes he knew exactly what, or more specifically _who_ the boy was talking about. Question was how did he?

"The name you are looking for is Tom Marvolo Riddle, I believe. I myself told him he was a wizard and gave him his first Hogwarts letter. The boy latter grew into the feared wizard Lord Voldemort."

No flinch, no gasp at the recital of the feared name, the boys only response was to tighten the fist clenching his sheets, his knuckles turning white now, though the old man suspected this was because of his response and not the name itself.

After some time he seemed to make a decision for he turned to face the old man once more, his face schooled into a stoic look. "When you look into the Mirror of Erised, what do you see?"

This time the old mans eyebrows disappeared into the recesses of his cap, and the odd questions continued. But the boy stared intently at his face, as if this one question would make or break his decision.

The old man schooled his features as well into twinkling merriment. He would not tell a stranger his deepest desires; he gave the answer he almost always gave. "I see myself getting a pair of socks for Christmas".

To his surprise the boy broke out in genuine laughter, the sound so familiar to Albus in a deeper pitch.

Then his grin faded, "how is it possible you are here?" he whispered, searching the older mans face but finding nothing different.

" My dear boy," Dumbledore staggered to his feet once more, suddenly looking very old, " I believe I have answered more than my fair of questions." he sat at the foot of the bed. " I need you only to answer one of mine...what is your name?"

Surprise flashed across the boys features, " my name?" he frowned as if stating the obvious, "Harry Potter"

(-----)

Harry stared at his reflection in the large mirror that sat atop an equally large dresser in the room Dumbledore had deemed fit to hold him. Staring back were the same emerald eyes and same, if not longer, messy raven hair that he'd never been able to tame. Aside from the dark circles under his eyes and the faded welts around his neck, he looked, all in all, exactly the same.

_Well that theory is shot down the bucket. _Harry had thought that perhaps he had been completely and horribly disfigured to the point were even Dumbledore had had to ask him who he was. But that still did not explain how Dumbledore was back, or why he'd recognized no one in St.Mungos on the journey from his room to the visitors floo station.

He had expected the waiting room to be full, overcrowded with worried family's hoping for word on friends or family. He had expected to see hundreds of healers running around like chickens with their heads cut off moving from one critical patient to the next and trying to stop the raising level of casualties.

He had not expected a calm almost jovial environment in the waiting room as a group of kids were amusing themselves by running a circle around another man only to see his head follow them until it came right back to were it started, successfully completing a 360 degree turn to the kids shouts of "over here owl man!" and "look at me owl man". Their embarrassed mother trying to silence her kids and glare at the "owl-man" at the same time. A grinch-like person sitting in the corner crossed its green furry arms and huffed disdainfully at all the noise. Harry had not expected to see groups of two or three healers standing around, casually conversing to each other and some even stopping to say a hello to the old headmaster accompanying Harry.

To say that Harry was confused would be an understatement of gigantic proportions. But the excitement, the burn for knowledge that he had once felt at the prospect of uncovering a mystery was no longer there. Tossing theories around in his head was simply a way for Harry to avoid doweling on the horrible truth nudging at his thoughts to be acknowledged. Was a way for him to postpone the inevitable.

That said, Harry's second theory seemed much more likely. That he had travelled back in time. Not just a few years, but before the time of Voldemort, perhaps even before his parents had come to Hogwarts. That would explain not only the general attitude of the populace he'd encountered, (which basically included the entire waiting room of St.Mungos), but also why Dumbledore did not recognize him. The headmaster had even one as far as to casually question Harry on any strange scares he might have.

Dumbledore, no- Albus, Harry had to separate the two in his mind, he could not get himself to think of this Dumbledore as _his _Dumbledore. That brought too many thoughts into his head, dangerous thoughts about other impossibilities that he dared not to hope for, let alone consider.

Albus had not spoken a word to Harry the entire way back to Hogwarts. Their last correspondence back in Harry's prison/room in St.Mungos, consisted of Albus questioning him on where or who he was going to stay when he was discharged from St.Mungos.

In truth Harry had no idea where he was going to go, or what he was going to do at that point. He'd shied away from thinking of the Burrow, and shuddered when he thought of Private Drive. He'd remembered that he always carried a pouch of money in his pocket at all times, in both muggle and wizerding currency -_just in case_- and had been calculating how long it would last him when Albus had brought up the prospect of leaving to stay at Hogwarts with him at that moment.

Harry had been considering the pros and cons of staying at Hogwarts when Albus had let it casually slip that if he'd rather stay, he would have no problem with it. And that it would, in fact, make it easier on the ministry Aurors coming to question him this evening. For they would have a much harder time doing so in Hogwarts.

Needless to say Harry had wanted to avoid any questioning from the ministry, at least not until he was ready.

Which brought him to his current situation, staring at his reflection in the too-large mirror, reflecting the too-large canopy bed behind him in the too-large room.

Said too-large room looked as though it had not been used in decades, the smell of must still clung to the air as well as air-born dust particles. He fanned a few away from his face, his fingers brushing along the edge of his fringe. On a sudden impulse Harry pushed aside his hair to see the lightning bolt shaped scare on his forehead.

It looked…_fresh_, seemed to be the only word Harry could think of, as if he had just received it, and not lived with it all his life. The line was still a light pink that Harry knew would heal to white. He touched it gingerly and felt no pain, come to think of it. He could no longer feel _him_ inside his head. No longer was there the sense of invasion that had always been there before, even when he hadn't noticed it. He leaned in to the mirror to have a closer look at the scar.

A transparent head of a women emerged from the face of his reflection in the mirror stopping inches from his own. "Helooo!"

Harry scrambled backwards barely managing to suppress a yell at the sudden appearance of the ghost. He watched as she emerged herself fully from the mirror and sat demurely on the edge of the dresser.

"I am Lady Kathryn Thustelridge, you may call me Kathryn" she said, as though deeming him a great service, "welcome to my humble abode." She gestured grandly at the room with a flourish of her hand.

Having got over her surprising appearance (which he was beginning to think she'd done purposely), "this is your room?"

She gave him a look that one would give a house elf should they have asked a question "of course it is!" she floated from the dresser and around the room, "Who but I could have such great style, such wonderful vision, such eye for design."

_Such modesty_, Harry raised an eyebrow. On the verge of telling the great Kathryn how he really felt about her room, He paused, she could prove to be useful just yet. " Can you tell me what year it is?" he interrupted.

She gave a theatrical suffering sigh, " when you've been around as long as I have, time is but a number. I remember when I as around your age, all the balls and soirees, time seemed to be my enemy then, so much to do so little time. I was the toast of the ton you know…"

Harry smiled wryly, so much for being useful. She couldn't seem to stop talking. Jumping from one topic to the next.

"…and Dumbledore hardly ever brings anyone to stay in my room,"

Harry was starting to see why, he turned his back on her as she prattled on about nothing, blocking out the sound of her voice, hoping she would get the point and leave.

Harry walked over to the table in the corner where Albus had put his belongings. "_the house-elves were unfortunately not able to remove all of the bloodstains" _he'd said watching Harry closely for any signs of recognition. Harry had avoided eye contact for he knew the answer to Albus' hidden question would be clear in them.

Kathryn was suddenly in front of him once more, a small crease between her eyebrows, " you know it's very rude to walk away from someone when they are talking!" she chided.

Apparently it would take more than avoiding her to make her go way. Her frown deepened suddenly. "you know, you bear such a striking resemblance to a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher we had here a while back."

Harry leaned forward in mock interest, "_really?_" he asked sarcastically.

She nodded leaning forward as well as if sharing juicy gossip "Professor _Hotter_ the girls used to giggle in the hallways"

Harry sighed again, apparently sarcasm didn't seem to register to Kathryn either, time for him to be frank. " would you mind leaving me alone now, wonderful to meet you and all that rubbish, now _go away_" he couldn't be any clearer if he could somehow push her out.

Kathryn straightened to her full height, and hovered a bit as well so that she could tower above Harry, "Well I never…you sir are not a gentleman" with that she floated out of the room, deciding to take a quickest route, directly through Harry.

Harry shuddered at the feeling of being dipped in icy cold water he always got when coming into close contact with a ghost. Shaking off effect he turned back to his carefully folded belongings, thankful to be able to look through them in blessed silence.

He fingered his invisibility cloak for a moment then moved on to the pants he'd been wearing that day. Purposely avoiding looking at the faded blood stains he moved his hand to the pocket and opened it easily, the anti-theft charm removed in recognition to his magical signature. Inside he removed several shrunken objects. The first being the money pouch he had though of before.

Next was what looked like a toy chest was in actuality Harry's Hogwarts trunk that contained all the worldly possessions he'd ever had. Harry put it down beside the shrunken pouch, deciding he didn't need to open it now. The scrubs they'd given him at the hospital while not stylish were at least comfortable.

He paused at the next object, mumbling the tiny incantation to enlarge it to its regular size Harry found himself staring at his reflection once more, but this time within a handheld mirror. Harry hadn't even realized he was moving until the back of his knees came into contact with the bed and he sat down heavily. Still staring not necessarily at himself but at the mirror itself.

Sirius had given him the mirror as a Christmas gift in his 5th year, the 2-way mirror he'd called it. Call the name of the person on the other side and you would be able to see them, and they would be able to see you. He'd never been able to test it at great distances. He had given the second mirror to Ginny before he'd left the burrow. That had turned out to be useful in more than one occasion. But if Ginny had left it at home that day…

Harry held his breath, would it work now. He was gripping the handle so hard the mirror shook slightly. Taking a deep breath, and steadying his hand, Harry tried the first name he could think of.

"Ron Weasley"

Nothing, the handle didn't grow warm, the mirror didn't fog over. Ron simply wasn't there to answer.

"Arthur Weasley" still nothing, "Fred and George Weasley", he was getting desperate now he tried Bill, Charlie. Grasping at snitches he tried even tried saying Fleur Weasley.

When the mirror still rested in his hand unmoved by his efforts, Harry felt his frustrations grow to a boiling point and threw the mirror to the far wall, where it fell to the floor with a clunk and a crack.

A moment later found Harry on his knees by the object Lifting it up gingerly to access the damage he'd done. Regardless of its uselessness, it was only thing Sirius had ever personally gave him, and he had almost ruined it as well. Surprisingly it hadn't shattered completely, the only sign of what Harry had done was in the form of a singly thin crack right down the centre of the mirror.

Harry bit his lip, if his second theory was right and he'd gone back into time, who would have the mirror now?

"…Sirius?" Harry tried hesitantly.

The handle began to grow warm, the outline of the mirror glowed as the mirror itself fogged over. Though Harry had chanced that this would happen, his hands still shook and his breathing all but stopped as the fog finally cleared.

At first he could see nothing but dark shadows. A mumbled "_lumos_" punctured by a yawn, then a figure came into view. Grumbling, "whattisis now prongs!"

Harry dropped the handle as though the warmth had suddenly decided to burn him. He barely heard the small thump as the mirror fell to the foot of the bed, his heart was pounding so loudly.

That had not been Sirius he had just heard through the mirror, it couldn't be. But it was, it had been his yawning voice, his tired face that had shown through the mirror. It was impossible, it was mad.

Harry laughed bitterly, the sound made eerie by the large empty room. Of course it was mad, the entire situation since he'd woken up had made Harry question his own sanity. First Dumbledore and now Sirius. Nothing was making sense, and now his second theory had to be shot to hell as well, for Harry had just seen a full grown Sirius, not a boy in Hogwarts.

Theory number three, that had seemed plausible if not possible on the way here, was now as mad as everything else. For if Death Eaters were planning to lull him into a false sense of security, with a fake Dumbledore and bringing him to Hogwarts and now Sirius. Why go through all the trouble? Too many details down to Sirius calling him 'prongs' were too accurate to be planned. And what did he have that they wanted? Nothing. If they wanted revenge they would have just tortured him slowly until he wished he were dead, the only mind games they played were with the Cruciatus curse.

Theory four had Harry either unconscious and in a coma. Or simply so far gone that his body was still functioning but his mind had trapped him in this world were nothing made sense and dead people kept popping up everywhere.

Harry ran both hands through his hair, sitting on his heals at the centre of the bed now he rocked back and forth trying to calm his breathing back down to a normal level. When his heart stopped pounding he peeked cautiously over the edge of the bed to look down at the 2-way mirror nervously, as if it would somehow jump up and attack him.

He was staring at his own reflection once more. His eyes, wide as saucers, had a touch of a wild look in them, but it was still once more a normal mirror. Had he imagined the entire thing? Wanted so desperately for someone to answer his plea that he'd made up the entire episode with Sirius.

No, Harry knew for certain that he had just seen Sirius on the other side of the mirror. A Sirius who thought he was his father.

Harry laid back on the bed. He didn't care if he fell asleep anymore. At least in his dreams he knew what was real and what was not.

A knock sounded, bolting Harry up into a sitting position once more. He waited, watching the door warily.

The knock sounded again, and Harry realized the person on the other side was awaiting permission to enter. Harry cleared his throat and called out to enter. Somehow he wasn't surprised to see Dumb…Albus walk in, dressed only in his nightgown. He stood at the threshold of Harry's room. Harry waited, saying nothing.

"I just received a visit from an irritated ghost who says she was quote "man-handled" from her room, I came to see if you were alright?"

He was just like Harry's Dumbledore, always beating around the bush until he said what he really came here to say. Harry decided he wasn't going to make it any easier for him. "she wasn't that hard to handle, just really annoying."

Albus chuckled lightly, coming into the room and sitting on the corner of Harry's bed. Harry ducked his head, focused on following the patterns on the linens draped across the bed with his finger. He let the silence stretch for a while longer, knowing Albus was watching his every move.

"Do you remember Harry, anything about the night of the U-Ward disaster?" he asked finally.

Did he? Harry remembered all right, he remembered screaming himself awake, the memory of the nightmare so rich and fresh in his mind for those first few hours that he could taste the blood, hear the screams.

The rest of the dream had come to him in brief glimpses. Each more confusing than the last, and each more terrifying.

But mental numbness had thankfully spread, protecting him from dwelling on the last days of his past life. Still Harry had avoided sleep since then, not eating or drinking anything either for he knew there would be sleeping drought in either one, or most likely both.

"No"

It was a lie and they both knew it.

Albus gave Harry a sad smile. The small gesture reminding Harry of his Dumbledore so clearly, that for a moment Harry felt a stab of pain in his chest and had to look away so as Albus did not see the dampness that came unbidden to his eyes.

He felt the bed shift as the old headmaster got up and gave a little sigh. "Goodnight Harry Potter"

As he moved towards the front door, Harry had a quick thought. "Professor?" he asked, the title coming as naturally to him as it always had. Albus paused at the front door. "What year is it?"

If he found the question strange, Albus gave no indication of it. " It is the year 1997" he intoned.

Harry laid back onto the bed "of course it would be" he heard the door close and knew Albus had turned in for the night.

It seemed to Harry the only thing that made sense, was that everything else would not.

(-----)

Dumbledore stood in front of Harry's room for a moment longer, debating on going back in. Deciding against it, he turned around and made the long trek back to his room.

He had had a busy day today, and would have an equally busy if not more so one tomorrow. He was so close to solving the mystery of the boy. Dumbledore felt as though the answer was just out of his reach, but not any longer. For tomorrow Nora would have the last two pieces of the information ready for him.

Dumbledore could not stop the small spring in his step as he walked, he had not felt this excited in ages. For as long as he could remember he had loved to solve any puzzles or riddles he could get his hands on. The feeling of solving a mystery brought him a sense of accomplishment. He loved how all the pieces came together.

The last time he had embarked upon solving a mystery, the fate of the entire wizerding world rested on his answers. And trying to find about as much about Voldemort and his horcuxes was gruelling depressing work, and more than oft life threatening.

Now the only con to all his digging would be that the boy was not really who he said he was. But if the entire thing was a hoax, it was a very good one indeed. To have put such carefully planned details into place. Though the only ones Dumbledore could think of who held grudges against the Potter's were Voldemorts old supporters, (For they knew were he had really gone that night.) each of whom Dumbledore knew for certain would not have the patience or cunning to put such a large deception into place.

But he had been wrong before, and he could be now.

Dumbledore pulled a sweet out of his pocket, compliments of Fred and George Weasley from that morning. He chuckled as he felt his tongue grow larger in his mouth. With a shrug he popped the entire candy into his mouth and walked the rest of the way back to his room with a 20 pound tongue swinging to and fro.

The boys really were geniuses. Dumbledore had taken pity on them for all their attempt to gain supporters in order for them to open a joke shop, Molly still did not know it was he who had given them their start-up loan, he dreaded the day she found out. Needless to say that morning had been quite amusing. The simple act of taking a blood sample turning into an hour long breakfast that turned into a food fight, ending only when a stray egg had caught Albus in the eye.

He had given the samples all to Nora on his way to visiting the boy-no Harry. He must begin to think of him as Harry now. Dumbledore knew he was confused could see it in his eyes. For a young man he had ancient wisdom in his eyes, ones that said he'd lived far beyond his apparent years.

He had put him in Kathryn's room in hopes that she would break him out of his shell. The ghost had a way of making even the portraits see red. Dumbledore had been tired of the one word responses he'd been receiving and the long silences. The silences were still there. Only less hostile, less charged than before.

Dumbledore stroked his chin as he remembered when he'd asked Harry about his dream. There was something in his demeanour that struck him almost immediately; he had been scared and trying not to show it. His face had turned stoic and cold, and before he'd dropped his gaze Dumbledore saw deep sadness reflected in his eyes.

Albus sighed, he really should get a good nights sleep. He had a big day ahead of him tomorrow.

For tomorrow Dumbledore would finally know the answers to all his questions

(-----)

wanted to make it longer but someone cough-Bebe-cough guilted me into prematurely posting, I already have half of chapter 8 ready so don't worry, update will come soon.

Especially with Bebe on my a$$. Lol thanks for being my beta girl!


	8. Chapter 8

Probably wondering why the review took so long. Well I've agonized over and over about this and I've decided I'm going to keep my story pre- Deathly Hollows. So no spoilers for those who haven't read it yet. I might take a few things from the 7nth book but I like my Dumbledore omniscient and unquestionably all knowing, with the mysterious past.

Enjoy the chapter, and don't forget to review!

PS: I'm using direct quotes from the books this chapter. So...no copyright infringement intended and all that

(-----)

_"Lily, take Harry and go! It's him! Go! Run! I'll hold him off ------"_

_"Not Harry, not Harry, please not Harry!"_

_"Stand aside you silly girl … stand aside now."_

_"Not Harry, please no, take me, kill me instead ----- Not Harry! Please … have mercy … Have MERCY! "_

"_HAAAAA…"_

"RRRRYYYY" Lily awoke with a start to her husband's hands shaking her shoulders.

"It was a dream…it was just a bad dream...ssshhh, it not real sweetie, its not real, shhh." He pushed her head onto his shoulder and began to rock her. "…not real…"

She slowly come back to reality, eyes blinking as the world came back into focus. "not real?" she repeated, pushing him back for the confirmation.

"It was just a nightmare sweetie, nothing but a nightmare," he continued in a soft voice.

She clutched her chest tightly, only a nightmare? But no it wasn't only but a nightmare. She still felt the coldness that gripped at her heart, remembered the chill that had filled her soul. How both had tightened painfully the moment the green light had hit her. It wasn't _only_ a nightmare, it couldn't it… it…

"…it felt so real."

That was best she could describe it as, the entire thing had felt more like a memory than a dream, especially the part at the end….

"Are you going to be okay now?"

She looked up and met James hazel eyes, noticing the dark shadows underneath for the first time, she felt immediately guilty.

"I'm sorry, I woke you" she glanced at the bedside clock, it read 6AM, they had only gone to bed 4 hours ago.

"You didn't, I was already awake anyhow."

Too tired to prod as to why James had already been awake, Lily laid back down with a heavy sigh and let herself be pulled back into his arms.

Silence filled the room as Lily built up the courage to finally ask aloud the question that kept running through her head.

"Did you ever wonder... what would have happened if Snape hadn't been there that ni.."

"No"

Shocked at the immediate decline, Lily blinked back tears that suddenly came to her eyes and turned her back to him. She felt movement behind her, arms enveloped her middle, pulled her close, lips lightly pressed at the side of her head and then he spoke.

" I don't ever want to think about what would happen if I lost you too." He murmured.

Lily smiled slightly, burying herself deeper into his embrace she decided to let the topic go, she shouldn't have reminded James of the past he was trying so hard to forget, only because she couldn't let go.

But what she couldn't simply forget was that of all of her previous dreams and re-occurring nightmares.

This was the first time she had died.

(-----)

The youngest Weasley was having the nicest dream. She was attending her Hogwarts graduation ball, she wore her loveliest gown and she'd arrived atop a dragon. Now she was walking towards her prince charming, hidden in the shadows but for his outstretched arm to lead her into the ballroom.

Though her dream self didn't see him, she was absolutely certain that he was the perfect man in every way. Reality Ginny had some doubts and wanted to see his face.

_"Ginny"_

Just -a little-bit-closer…

_"Ginny!" _

A few more steps, he held her hand now, was stepping out of the shadows…

"Ginerva Molly Weasley!"

She was yanked out of her fantasy by the sound of her name being shouted by her mother. Instead of grand surroundings, Ginny found herself staring at the back of her bed linens.

"Do you know what time it is young lady? Up! Up up up up up UP!"

Ginny released a groan as she desperately tried to go back to sleep and recapture her dream, (preferably were she left off), but to know avail. She smothered her face in the nearest pillow and let out a muffled scream.

Oblivious to her daughter's predicament, Molly Weasley continued as she sorted newly washed clothes into the cupboard. "I've allowed you to sleep in, but its nearly noon! I've been up for more than a few hours now what does that say about you?"

"That I have a crazy mother" Ginny grumbled safely underneath the pile of sheets on the bed.

She heard her mother pause her shuffling and ask in a silky sweet voice. "What was that dear?"

"Nothing" Ginny replied quickly, hoping she hadn't heard.

Her mother resumed her shuffling, and right when Ginny thought she was safe her sheets were all suddenly pulled off her bed entirely to land neatly into the hamper on her mothers arms.

"I just realized I haven't washed these yet." She explained to an open mouthed Ginny. Tucking her wand back into her apron and turning to walk out the door.

The smirk on her face made Ginny doubt her mother's constant insistence that Fred and George's antics had come from her fathers side of the family.

Minuets later found Ginny grumpily slumping into the kitchen. She paused at the doorway and grimaced in disgust as she watched her older brother Ron shove anything in sight into his mouth, as if the food would suddenly decide to grow tiny legs at any moment and run away.

"Lo who fi-ally awa" he said, the fact that his mouth was filled proving no hindrance to him at all.

Ginny wrinkled her nose, "I so did not to see that" she mumbled as she sat and began filling her plate.

Swallowing he continued, "is sleeping the only thing your good at around here?"

"Is managing to talk around 10 pounds of food the only thing your go-"

"So what are you two planning to do today?" her mother interrupted cutting off Ginny retort to prevent a quarrel so early in the day.

Ron, oblivious as ever jumped at the chance. "Going to meet up with the gang Diagon Alley, we'll decide what to do then.

Translation- 'going to meet up with the gang and go to a muggle pub (with the fake id's Lee Jordan gave us for out birthdays) and pick up girls.' Or, 'going to meet up with the gang and find a place to play Quidditch all day like the sad obsessed losers we are.'

Ginny snorted out loud, directing both Ron and Molly's gazes to her.

"What about you Ginny?" her mother asked. Eyes suddenly lighting up she leaned forward toward her, "Are you seeing anyone lately?"

Ginny who had been in the process of eating when the question came, choked. Downing a glass of water she patted her chest and coughed. "Mum!" she really did not feel like having this conversation at the moment.

"Seeing anyone?" it was Ron's turn to snort, "mum she's already seen _everyone_, I don't think there's _anyone_ left."

Ginny didn't appreciate what her was implying and levelled a glare at her brother. True she had gone out with a few boys from her year but was quickly turned off by their immaturity. And also true she had also dated most of the boys in Ron's 'gang' at one point or the other but that didn't mean she was a slag. She was just checking out her- very limited- options.

"Aren't you moving through boyfriends a bit fast dear?" her mother inquired, as she bustled around the kitchen behind her.

Ginny shifted her gaze, "Mum! I've only two serious relationships that didn't work out; the others were only little trips to Hogsmeade and the like. We can't all be like you and dad who found their life partners in one go! And it's not like I'm dating a different boy ever week! And I'll _thank you!_" she added angrily to Ron. "Not to be telling tales about me like it's any of your business!"

"It is my business!" Ron retorted, "You think I want people saying my sisters a-"

"Whack!" was heard, and the pan that had just hit Ron sailed back into its drawer. "Watch what you say dear," her mother added.

Ginny smiled, feeling much happier than before at the sight of Ron rubbing the back of his head. "And _really_ Ron, like you should be the one to talk, Mr. I've-Gone-With-Every-Gryffindor-Girl-In-My-Year!"

Instead of being ashamed Ron visibly puffed up his chest and smirked. "I know"

Her mother was looking at him with raised eyebrows, sceptical and unimpressed. "Every girl in your year _and _house?" she paused to cross her arms over her chest, "Ronald Bilius Weasley, are you proud of the fact that you can't stay in a relationship? That you use girl to build up your ego? Are you proud of your immaturity towards commitment?"

Ginny muffled her mouth to keep the laughter at the sight of Ron's dumbfounded expression from escaping. Satisfied of the desired effect Molly turned back to what she was working on, on the counter.

Not done getting her revenge quite yet Ginny felt an evil smile cross her face. "Well this still one girl sane enough not to touch Ron with a 10-foot pole even if you paid her."

Ron didn't even have to ask who she was referring to, instead he muttered dark obscenities under his breath and an angry red flush crept it way up his neck. her mother watched his reaction in amusement, she turned to Ginny for clarification.

"Hermione Granger-" Ron snorted at the name, "she was the girl who started the ban on all the twins products from Hogwarts" Ginny explained.

"Ah, well I like her already" Molly joked.

"She screams like a banshee" Ron said, the two women in the room shared amused glances, "looks like one too." He added under his breath.

Ginny couldn't help but laugh aloud, it was a well-known fact around the school that there was a constant war waging between the two Gryffindor students. Their legendary shouting matches were a constant source of betting. Even the teachers had learned not to partner them up for anything. Snape, deciding not to support their foolish little games purposely paired them up every Potions.

Contrary to what Ron said about her, Ginny thought Hermione was actually a very nice girl who was..._passionate_ about her schoolwork and her future. She'd helped Ginny on more than one occasion and if Ron had any sense to befriend her rather than taunt and goad, he might not have received only 4 OWL's the year before last. Hermione was normally a levelheaded person and the only times Ginny had seen her loose her composer was when dealing with her brother.

But then again...who wouldn't.

A screech was heard as an owl floated into the room and landed in the centre of the table. All movement stopped in the Weasley kitchen as 3 pairs of eyes stared at the pristine looking brown bird.

"That looks like a ministry owl" her mother darted her gaze to the clock on the wall, where all but the three hands were pointing at 'Work', and back to the owl in wary confusion.

Ron bravely reached out to retrieve the letter around the bird's leg, when it snapped at his fingers. Taking two hops towards Ginny.

"For me?" Ginny held her breath as she slowly reached for the owl; it stuck its leg out for her. The moment she detached the letter, the bird squawked once and flew back out the window. _'Well I guess it doesn't need a response.' _She thought, slowly unfolding the note under the watchful gazes of the other two Weasleys.

Reading down the paper Ginny let out a sigh of relief, "It's from St.Mungos" her relieved sigh was mirrored by both her mother and Ron.

Ministry Owl's were never a good thing. They brought you the news that someone you knew was either sacked (if they worked at the Ministry) or worse-dead.

"The nurse that took our blood samples for her research has the results in and wants to talk to me abut them before its published in 'Mungo's Magazine' and 'Healer Insights'."

She had barely finished explaining what she'd read when Ron plucked the letter out of her fingers, "What's the deal with her only wanting you to go there. 'I would prefer if you send Ms. Weasley to consult with me. Thank you for your time and co-operation, Sincerely Healer Nora'" he read, "What's so special about you?"

Ginny shrugged, not knowing the answer herself.

"Maybe there's something wrong with your blood!" Ron suggested helpfully, "Maybe she found something in it like a mutant gene and-"

Molly grabbed the paper out of his hands, "That's not funny Ronald," Ginny looked up to see her mother frowning as she read the letter herself, "if there was anything wrong she would have to discuss it with me as well, after all Ginny's still a minor,"

As she was reminded every single day.

"Maybe she feels more comfortable around girls? Or maybe-"

"Or MAYBE," Ginny interjected snatching the letter out of her mothers hand, " she thought that since everyone here has a job of some sort that I would be the most convenient," after all Molly was considered a full time house-wife and mother while Ron worked part-time at the twins joke shop. "And _maybe_ that is all there is to it "

An hour later, sitting in front of the part-anxious, part-earnest looking Healer Nora. Ginny began to seriously re-think her statement.

(-----)

Rosline Potter was bored, no scratch that, she was _beyond_ bored. It wasn't enough that her parents had forced her to accompany them to St.Mungos this morning, but they had left her sitting in the waiting room to baby-sit her little sister because apparently it was too _dangerous _to go down to the U-Ward.

As if people who didn't know who they were would be dangerous.

A tiny voice at the back of her head told her she was being unreasonable, that she had only been waiting for 20 minuets, that her little sister was engrossed in another of her books and not even bothering paying attention to her. And that people who couldn't remember their identities had a few issues.

She silenced the voice, she was 15, and it was summer, she should be out with friends going shopping and having fun. Not spending her time in a _hospital_ being grossed out by the patients.

Nuh uh, seeing a person who had no mouth once in a lifetime was enough for her.

She groaned, this day could not get any worse.

"Sssssshhhhhh!" she looked up to see the secretary glaring at her from behind the desk.

Roseline raised her eyebrows, was the witch serious? Why wouldn't she "shh" the idiot behind her who overdosed on laughing potion.

A tap on her shoulder caused her to snap her head to side to give the person who'd dared interrupt her brooding a thorough tongue-lashing. Only to find the source was a hand... just a hand.

She screamed once, startling Daisy from her book daze when she jumped to her feet, screaming again when the detached hand she slapped off her shoulder fell to the floor and began to slowly creep its way towards her, like some bad horror movie.

It was scooped up by a sheepish looking man." Sorry," he said gesturing to the stump on his arm where he stuck the still wiggling hand to, "still 'avin a bit of problems wit' me anesthetic."

Roseline stared horrified at the man, vaguely registering her sister's laughter in the background.

Before she managed to gather her wits a ding sounded, indicating the elevator she had been glaring at was opening. A booming voice confirmed it was her father.

" Well my little spitfire, that wasn't so bad was it?" he asked, throwing an arm over her shoulder.

Filling her lungs with air Roseline spinned on her heel to face her parents and her godfather.

"Wasn't so bad? Oh no, no no. I've only had to sit here doing nothing but watching wizard after witch with their body parts glued, stuck, invisible or disfigured sit beside me, and 'Thing' back there decided to take a break from the Adams Family to say hi, but other than that I'm just BLOODY PEACHY!"

"Who the hell are the Adams Family?" Sirius asked at the same time her mother said "Don't swear Roseline."

The secretary at the front desk was glaring at her again and her mother moved to smooth the women's feathers. James simply chuckled mussing up her hair (that she painstakingly worked to keep smooth every morning), he led Sirius away mentioning something about keeping in touch with his muggle knowledge, a still giggling Daisy, her 10-pound book in hand, followed.

Roseline turned as if to call after them when she saw her mother, in the corner of her eye, arguing with the nurse at the front desk.

Not that Roseline was complaining, but she doubted her mother would get so worked up over something as small as irritating her daughter. The arguing got louder until a Healer approached and guided her mother away from the quickly reddening secretary.

Roseline frowned and was closing in on them when a flash of red hair drew her gaze away. She spotted a red faced Ginny Weasley emerge from the room behind the healer. Her curiosity as to why Ginny was at St.Mungos distracted her from her original goal and she detoured calling out a greeting to the youngest Weasley.

(----)

"You mean to tell me, that of all these healers, all the patients and visitors, not a _single_ one saw the boy leave?" Lily struggled to keep her tone even.

"According to my records he's of age ma'am and we couldn't hold him against his will if he decided to leave. And he did."

Lily was getting the distinct impression this nurse new more than she was saying. She took a glance at the Healers nametag. "Tell me something...Ms. Filch, the whole point of the U-Ward in the first place is to determine whether or not those suffering amnesia are a danger to themselves and others is that correct?"

The women nodded cautiously.

"Then do you regularly release patients out into the world when they, the night before unconsciously _blew-up_ half a level. Do you make it a practice of yours Healer Nora to-"

"The destruction of the U-Ward was deemed accidental and the blame was not placed on any single patient." The women interrupted in an equally controlled voice, "also the fact that the boy was not suffering from amnesia and remembered his identity, meant we couldn't exactly coop him back up in the U-Ward now could we?"

She held up her hand to stall Lily's response, "and before you ask what I know your going to ask, No I cannot and will not reveal the boys identity to you, or to anyone else with nothing less than a Ministry decree."

She smiled at Lily's gape mouth expression, "if that was all Mrs. Potter, a good day to you." Without waiting for a response she swept past in blur of lime-green robes.

Lily watched her retreating figure, half tempted to stun the witch right there for all to see. Three deep breaths, a countdown from ten and a large exhale later, Lily managed to control the urge.

Barely.

(----)

"Ginny!" she heard her name and snapped her head to the side, her mind already jumping to how much the person knew of what she was doing there before she remembered she had been alone in a room with the Healer and that no one could have possibly heard anything.

Smile already locked in place Ginny saw Roseline Potter making her way towards her.

"Roseline!" Ginny responded in an over the top voice. "Hello!"

The younger girl slowed her approach and stared at her warily. "Are you alright Ginny? You seem a bit…peaky"

Ginny sighed wearily dropping her act to muffled her face- which she was sure by resembled a tomato- in her hands. "No, I'm not alright"

Roseline stayed silent and Ginny peaked through her hands to find her watch her in concern. "Are you sick?" she asked.

"no, no I'm…" Ginny looked up and immediately felt guilty for making the younger girl worry. She looked around to make sure they were out of sight and on a sudden impulse grabbed Roseline's hand and pulled them both into a nearby utility closet. While she and the Gryffindor 4'th year were not the best of friends, Ginny still trusted her enough to tell her this.

"A few days ago, Dumbledore gave us a visit saying he had a past student, now a Healer here who was doing a research project about the differences between the blood of pure-bloods and muggle borns, if they were any. My entire family donated their blood samples to Dumbledore and today I was called to get the results of the project before they were published in the medical journals."

Roseline nodded, not interrupting but listening carefully.

"Well I get there and this Healer sits me in a room, talking all the while about healer-patient confidentiality and how I needed to be completely honest with her and how she wouldn't judge me but help through the step by step processes."

"What did she mean?" the other girl frowned in confusion.

"That's what I was wondering, so I asked her what was she talking about. She told me I no longer had to pretend that there was help for me yada yada yada blah blah blah. At this point she's really starting to scare me and I thought she had found something in my blood and was going to give me an estimation for how long I had left to live or something." Roseline drew a slow intake of breath. " I know! So anyway, I end up yelling at her to tell me what in the world she was talking about and she looks and point blank and asks 'Are you Pregnant?'"

There was silence in the little closet as Roseline's hazel eyes widen considerably. "Come again?"

Ginny nodded her head in agreement, "That's what I said! I told her that she was insane! There's no way I could have possibly been pregnant, that I haven't even done…you know _it_, before. She kept countering with all this medical jargon about how I had extremely high levels of a hormone in my blood and that, that only when the body is setting itself up to accommodate a baby or something. Get this, _she _was telling _me_ how _I _was pregnant!"

Roseline was silent for another moment, " Well…are you-"

"NO!"

The oldest Potter burst into giggles and vainly tried to muffle the sound with her hand.

"Its not funny," Ginny whined, "I'm scared for life here!"

"Sorry," Roseline managed to say within giggles, "but how often do you get accused of being pregnant?"

"It gets worse," Ginny groaned, " after we argued for about ten minuets and I thought she finally got the point that I was indeed _not_ expecting, she told me how she got this from a blood sample from before –which by the way I do not remember giving- and how if I was no longer with child then I must have been before and gotten rid of it! I told her Women! I'M SIXTEEN! She only sniffed and said she's seen younger. Trying the whole 'I care for you' act again she started to question me on how I aborted the baby, charm? Magical item? Potion-which apparently is most common- URGGGHH! I swear if she wasn't called down to the desk because of you mother Roseline I would have committed murder."

"Aww, so you had to sneak out?" Roseline sympathized. Ginny nodded and dropped her head onto the younger girls shoulder with another groan.

"…you poor baby"

A patient walking by at that instant, jumped back in shock as laughter suddenly burst out from the utility closet.

(----)

"Are you sure you don't want to have lunch with us?" Roseline asked as her and Ginny walked down an aisle of St.Mungos.

"Certain," replied the older girl, "I still have to go home and finish my chores and besides, its probably going to be a 'family thing' for you guys anyway"

Roseline snorted in derision, her 'family things' almost always included another member, most of the time Sirius.

They stopped by silent agreement at the centre of where the hall split into two different directions. Ginny gestured at the arrow pointing left that read 'Public Floo'.

"Guess I'm off then, thanks for listening, really." she said as they shared a quick hug.

"Trust me it was my pleasure," Roseline grinned, "you have no idea what kind of morning I was having"

"I guess I'll see you at school then!" she added with a little wave. The older girl paused.

"School? You're not going to Diagon Alley for your back-to-school shopping?"

"Already done," Roseline gave a dramatic sigh, "you know how my mum is, I'm surprised we actually managed to hold her off this long."

Ginny grinned and paused again before turning to leave, "oh and Roseline I don't have to tell you what'll happen if this ever gets out do I?"

Roseline made a zipping motion over her mouth, "what happens in the Utility Closet, stays is the Utility Closet."

The older girl rolled her eyes good-naturally and departed with a promise to write with any updated on her 'situation'.

Minuets later found a –still grinning- Roseline back in the waiting room, looking around she caught sight of her family by the front doors exiting onto muggle London. As she walked by the front desk the witch behind it narrowed her gaze and followed her movement as if she wanted to make certain Roseline was leaving for certain.

Seconds before she reached the entrance another familiar figure caught her attention and she watched as he hurried down a hallway. Roseline considered calling out to him, but decided against it as she caught the worried/anxious look on his normally jovial features as he disappeared around the corner.

' I wonder what he's doing here?' shrugging off her curiosity she reached her family and looked around. 

"Where's Sirius?" she asked.

"Went home," her mother answered automatically, "Leo's back from Camp WIT today."

"'Wizards in Training' is the stupidest design for a camp I have ever heard" Roseline commented scornfully, "do you know half the kids only go there so they can use magic during the summer!"

"hmm" her mother agreed absentmindedly.

Roseline took on the defensive, "and I'm not just being bitter because the camp is only for boys, it's a dim-witted idea in the first place and I don't know why Sirius would ever agree to sending him there!"

When no response came, Roseline frowned looking at her mothers spaced out gaze, even as she nodded in concurrence.

"Mum?" she said softly touching her lightly on her elbow.

Lily jolted, her head snapping to her as if she had just noticed her daughter stood before her. "I'm sorry sweetie, did you say something?"

" Is something wrong?" Roseline tried to ask nonchalantly, but concern managed to find its way into her voice.

"Oh nothing, " her mother beamed her down a big smile, that seemed some-what forced. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason," she mumbled diverting her gaze, she did a double take, as she noticed for the first time why both her father and younger sister had not joined the conversation.

"What're they doing?" They were both sitting on the side bench staring at each other silently.

"hmm? Oh staring contest to see who chooses where we go out for lunch."

Roseline smirked unsurprised, "why do you even try dad? Daisy's like a cat. It's a bit sad to watch really"

Grinning at the indignant expression on his face she turned back to her mother, "Oh! Guess who I just saw right now? Dumbledore!"

Lily jolted again, "Dumbledore? What's he doing here? Did he say anything to you?"

"Didn't talk to him, he looked like he was in a hurry I didn't want to disturb him." she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "oh and Ginny says Hi."

Her mother didn't seem to here the last part though she was gazing off once more, mumbling now and then to herself "Dumble…"

Before Roseline could shake her out of her daze a shout sounded as a triumphant Daisy danced out her victory.

It was cut short as the receptionists very short span of tolerance ran out and she flew out from behind her desk brandishing her wand screaming, "Out! Out! All of you! OUT!"

In all the following commotion, laughter and imitations during lunch. Roseline forgot about her mother's strange behaviour. And if she couldn't stop the nagging feeling that there was something wrong. She managed to brush it aside to deal with another time.

It wasn't as if it would be life changing or anything

(----)

Albus Dumbledore had rushed to St.Mungos this morning believing he had all but the last piece of the puzzle, and that nothing more could surprise him at this point.

He was wrong.

"Pregnant?"

Nora sighed and ran a hand through what was normally tight bun, now had strands of hair flying off in different directions. "The only reason I'm telling you Albus is because it has to do with your _patient_. And like everything else it makes no_…_"

Albus decided to interrupt before she got riled up, "tell me again how you came to this conclusion."

"I was comparing the samples you gave me of the Weasleys and found the youngest girl to be a perfect match but for a _tiny_ discrepancy. Going back to study the original sample I found it contained a high level of a certain hormone, which is only present during pregnancy, but the newer sample didn't. I could have brushed it off if there had been more time lap between the samples but it had been less than a week! The blood on the clothing had just started to dry when you brought it to me! It takes the female body a _minimum_ of two weeks to stop preparations even she did manage to terminate the pregnancy, and…"

Eyebrows raised to the brim of his hat, Dumbledore decided to stop her before she gave him any more disturbing details, she seemed to have forgotten that the current Ginerva could not have even survived the amount of blood loss in the first place.

"While all of that is… interesting. Do you have the results of the test I've asked you to perform?"

Nora sputtered indignantly, "Interesting! I'm telling you its impossible!"

Dumbledore levelled his gaze at his former student, "and I will look into it," he said, "but for now we can move past it and you can tell me what else you have discovered."

Nora began to take deep breaths as she reached into the drawer of her desk for the records; Dumbledore took this time to notice that she had paled considerably.

The files landed with two soft thumps in front of him. Dumbledore reached for the closer of the two and opened it.

"The right one is of Harry J Potter, deceased, 1980-1981. The left of U-ward patient room #27." She took a deep breath before continuing, " it's an exact match"

Dumbledore barely stopped the shout of triumph from escaping. He stoop up and began collecting the folders off the desk. "Thank-you Nora, you have been extremely helpful."

When no response came, Dumbledore looked down to see the head Healer of the U-Ward's mouth opening and closing repeatedly a perfect imitation of a fish.

"That's it! I tell you that the blood of boy dead for 16 years matches that of boy appearing out of nowhere and you reaction is to nod and Smile! Don't you doubt it for a second? Don't you find I strange! I did the test 5 times Albus. FIVE TIMES! I visited the baby's grave and the body is still there! And you-you"

"Of course I find it strange Nora, one of the reasons I brought the boy to Hogwarts was to keep a closer eye on hi-"

"You brought him to Hogwarts! You- you took that _thing_ to where students are going to be in 2 weeks! We don't even know what he is! Sure he looks human but he could be- he could be an Alien! A shape-shifting Creature! Albus that boy Can't Be Here! It- it its IMPOSSIBLE! He could be Dangerous! And you're so calm about all this HOW CAN YOU BE SO CALM!"

Stunned at the sudden outburst Albus could do nothing but blink as he watched his past student ripped her desk apart until she located what she was looking for and hastily sat down as she unscrewed the lid off the inkbottle.

"This is out of our league, way out of our league Albus we have to turn this over to the Ministry, yes the Ministry, they-they probably have experts on things like this, yes we have no choice…"

Albus sighed as he slipped the folders into the recesses of his cloak, he was afraid something like this might have happened. If the ministry became involved they would either lock Harry up in St.Mungos and perform tests, or lock him up in Azkaban. Two extremes Albus dearly wished to avoid.

"I'm incredibly sorry that is came to this Nora"

Said Healer looked up from her letter and blinked in surprise at the wand pointed in her face.

_"Obliviate"_

(-----)

For those who liked Nora sorry, she'll no longer be part of the story. For Harry lovers, don't worry he's in the next chapter. Till next time.


	9. Chapter 9

We can all blame betabebe now, for I had this chapter written up in my little notebook that I left at her house, and so the late update is now completely all her fault. And if she happens to write a review to the contrary you'll all ignore it and believe me. Right?

Recap- All of our characters happened ti be at St.Mungoes, except Harry. And we found something out about Ginny.

(-----)

The headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry sat perturbed behind his desk. He knew that what he had done to Healer Nora back at St.Mungos had been necessary. But still his heart was filled with remorse and his conscious ashamed by the logic being spouted by his brain.

_It's no use dwelling on spilt potion_

Dumbledore was saved from thinking himself into deeper guilt by Fawkes low musical cry.

Instead he thought of the progress he'd made on Harry's case. He pulled the two folders from his pocket and laid them on the desk before him, Dumbledore had known already what they would say and needed only a confirmation of proof not for himself, but for Harry.

Already an explanation was weaving itself together inside his head. From the disturbing facts he'd learned the night before to the even more disturbing facts of this evening, Albus felt as though he was close. Oh so close to the complete picture.

But he was still missing something, something was not quite right. And until he could approach the boy with no doubts and uncertainties, he vowed he would not share his theories.

A knock pulled him out of his musings. Dumbledore called out to enter as he pushed the files into the top drawer of his desk.

A familiar face poked its head into his office. "I hope I'm not disturbing you."

"No no, of course not Lily, you know I can always make time for you." He gestured at the chair in front of him and his old pupil took the cue to sit down. "What can I do for you today?"

Lily began to circle the print on her blouse nervously. "Actually I wanted to ask if you know anything about what happened to the boy who, you know 'poofed!' into our living room?"

Taken aback Dumbledore answered, "U-Ward patient #27?"

"Yes him," Lily agreed, "but it looks like he's no longer a patient. He was released sometime between last night and this morning, and the Healers have been no help whatsoever"

It had actually been last night; worried now Albus wondered how much she knew. "You went to see him?"

"Well actually I kind of just tagged along with James and Sirius when they went to question him before lunch today." She said sheepishly, "Point is, the boy apparently woke with all of his memory intact, deemed not dangerous and was able to walk out of St.Mungos without speaking to ministry officials all in a matter of hours. Can you tell me how that's possible?"

"I can my dear, but not at this time"

Lily seemed to pause mid sentence with her mouth agape as his words registered, "I'm sort what did you just say?"

" I know of the boys whereabouts, his identity, and the only danger he proves- in my opinion- is to himself." Dumbledore said, " and any more than this I cannot tell you my dear"

Lily opened and closed her mouth a few times before finally settling on a question. "Why not!?"

Dumbledore kept having to remind himself to be firm every time he opened his mouth, " I need you to trust me, you will find out the answers to all your questions I promise you, but all in due time."

Lily seemed to be having an internal struggle with herself for a few moments before sighing heavily and sagging back into the chair. At least she recognized a pointless argument when she saw one.

Lips twitching at the petulant pout she was sending his way, Albus lifted a can of his desk, "Lemon drop?"

As she reached into the can Lily tried once more, " I just wanted to-I had this feeling that-I wanted to ask" she popped a drop into her mouth and made a helpless shrugging gesture, "I guess I just wanted to see him again."

Nodding understandingly Albus locked his gaze with her emerald ones and probed lightly. "There's something else that's bothering you isn't there."

Lily paused suckling the candy for a brief moment and smiled slightly. "Its nothing…"

Dumbledore waited silently.

"Its stupid really…I don't even know _why _its still bothering me."

When she realized she wasn't going to get a response until he knew what she was talking about, Lily gave another sigh before sitting up and began to speak. " I had this dream the other night…

"…and when I woke up I could still feel _cold_. It felt so _real_ and now," she wiped at the stray droplets that had made their way down her face as she recounted her nightmare, "now I'm afraid to go back to sleep because I think if I do that I wont be able to wake up this time. And its stupid I know its stupid, but I can't help feeling like that."

Frowning with worry Dumbledore waved a hand over the can of lemon drops and offered the newly transformed tissue box to Lily.

"You can't help the way you feel my dear," he said when she finished wiping her tears, "but dreams, no matter how realistic, is still our subconscious mind expressing itself."

He waited until she raised her eyes to his once more, " Even so my dear, it does not do to dwell on dreams, and forget to live."

Lily was nodding along before he even finished the sentence, "I know, I guess I just needed someone to talk to about it James…" she made another helpless shrugging gesture.

Fawkes gave another small musical cry.

"I think a distraction might be in order," he said as Lily used the tissue to blow her nose, surprised when she burst out laughing.

"It…it smells like lemon," she gasped, trying to get a hold of herself, "I'm sorry"

Dumbledore smiled, "On a happier note Mrs. Potter, I have a proposition for you."

(-----)

"It looks like its going to be a close one! He dives and… he's caught the snitch! Harry Potter has caught the Snitch! And the crowd goes wild!" he made applause noises and did a celebratory loop with his broom.

_'This is when you know you've been spending too much time with yourself'_ his inner voice sneered.

Harry ignored the voice, he didn't care. He hadn't flown just for the sake of flying in a longtime, without a destination in mind, or a time limit to stick to. Harry felt relaxed when he was in the air, as if all of his troubles where left behind on the ground, all of his problems blown away by the wind. As if the weight on his shoulders fell back in protest of his defile of gravity. Up here, it was just him, the wind, and the sky.

_Free_, he rolled the word around on his tongue. For the first time, in a long time, Harry felt free.

He'd woken this morning to stare at the unfamiliar walls surrounding him, and had despaired at the intense sense of hopelessness that followed, once he'd remembered where he was, and why he was there. After eating breakfast, (served to him by a nervous looking house elf who swore there was nothing put in it), he'd wandered around the castle a bit. But everywhere he went, seemed to bring out memories from the corners of his mind and throw them at his unprepared person.

When he found himself staring at the doors of the Great Hall, lost in thought for more than ten minuets, Harry had decided to head back to his room. On his way back, he caught sight of the Quidditch pitch out the window and another recollection hit him,

'Whenever you feel like running far far away from everything, instead of going away, just go up'

One hour, 20 wandless magic attempts, and fifteen half-unshrunken broom jobs later, Harry found himself soaring around the empty pitch, eyes closed.

He spent hours simply flying from one end of the pitch to the other, doing loops and practicing Quidditch moves he'd thought he'd forgotten. And soon ended up doing running commentary for himself.

"Behind by one hundred points, Gryffindor is counting on-"

He blinked, blinded suddenly by bright sunlight. Harry paused mid flight to squint at the setting sun, looking around he noticed for the first time the descending darkness. He hadn't realized he'd been out here for that long; it seemed to him as though only an hour had passed.

Deciding to call it a day, he turned his broom back to the direction of the castle when a little hut in the peripheral of his vision caught his attention. On a sudden impulse he turned his broom and eventually touched down meters from the door of Hagrid's hut.

Nostalgia assaulted him as he looked at the familiar settings. The last time he'd been there had been the day of Dumbledore funeral where he, Ron and Hermione had checked in to say goodbye, before heading to the train. The last time he'd seen Hagrid on the other hand-

A snap of a twig drew Harry back from his ruminations, he whipped his head around to find where it came from and found himself staring at the forbidden forest. Squinting he made out a shape within the trees a few feet away, the being moved closer until Harry could make out it's naked human torso, its palomino body, and finally its head.

Recognition hit and he moved closer to the centaur "Firenze!"

The only response from the half-man half-horse was for it to tilt its head slightly in perplection, as if to study him. "You know me by name?" he said finally, blue eyes narrowing.

Harry felt the friendly smile he'd allowed to cover his face, fall. "You don't remember me either do you?" he couldn't keep the disappointment out of his voice.

"You are a stranger to me" was the centaurs response, "what is your name?"

Harry couldn't help but be shocked that the question, that had over the years become so unfamiliar to him, he'd already been asked twice in two days. He could count on one hand the number of times he had personally introduced himself, every other time people would tell him who he was, as if he didn't know or needed to be constantly reminded.

The centaur in front of him, if he correctly remembered, had been on of those people.

Harry closed his eyes briefly, "Harry Potter," he said, "My name is HARRY POTTER!"

If Firenze was shocked by the outburst he didn't show it, he merely blinked twice at the, now breathing heavily human boy in front of him.

Sighing Harry ran a hand through his hair, "sorry I just..." he made a helpless shrugging gesture. Firenze didn't respond again, instead he tilted his head back to look up at the now dark sky.

_'if he says Mars is bright tonight,'_ Harry thought bitterly _'or anything along those lines, I swear to Merlin I'm going to take this broom and shove it up his-'_

"You are a stranger here," he intoned

"Uhh...yeah you already said that" Harry frowned slightly.

The centaur turned his gaze back to him, blue eyes that seemed to pierce right through him " you do not belong here stranger"

"What-"

"And yet, " he continued, interrupting "at the same time you do"

"Riiiggghhht, " Harry could feel the sarcasm slip uncontrolled into his voice," that makes _perfect_ sense"

The centaur ignored his words once more, "tread carefully Harry…Potter" he said the name as if testing it for the first time, "and make your decisions wisely, for you have been given, a second chance"

(-----)

Walking down the familiar halls of Hogwarts, Lily reflected on what had just happened.

"A Defense Against the Dark Arts professor?" she thought, "me? He'd offered me the position?"

_'He must really have no other options then,'_ her inner voice said sarcastically, _'if he's gone as far as to offer you the position.'_

Lily heartily agreed. Give her Charms and she'd have the desks singing, Potions and she would stock the infirmary for years, but Defense Against the Dark Arts? The only owl she _hadn't_ gotten had been on her DADA exam. Sure she'd gotten and E, and 'Exceeds Expectations' was the next best score, but the fact remained that Defense Against the Dark Arts was not a strong subject for her. She should have just rejected the idea outright; there was no way she would possibly accept.

Still, she'd promised Dumbledore she'd go home and think about it. She could even ask James for some pointers or advice when she got home, she decided smirking, after all Professor 'Hotter' had to have a pointer or two at least.

Her smile slowly faded as her thoughts turned once more to the boy, Dumbledore had promised to get back to her about him. Lily knew he was hiding something from here, but he generally only did that for good reason and the bottom line came down to whether or not she trusted her old headmaster.

She sighed, she would meet him eventually and see for herself whether or not she was going crazy, until then she could only wait. Lily decided to stay positive, who knew, perhaps she would see him sooner than she thought.

(-----)

"Bloody centaurs and their bloody cryptic messages" Harry muttered darkly as he strode angrily down the front hall entrance of Hogwarts.

'_For you have been given a second chance'_, he scoffed, what the hell was that supposed to mean? He should have known better, every time he'd spoken with those… _beings_ he'd come out more confused than he'd gone in. Now he would be up all night trying to decipher the centaurs bloody warning.

'Click click click click'

Lost in thought Harry didn't hear the clicking until it became louder. Pausing mid-step, he tilted his head and heard it again,

'Click click click click'

There was no doubt about it, those where the sound of shoes. Which meant that someone else was here.

As the approaching clinking became louder, Harry realized it would be only seconds before the person rounded the corner. Making a quick decision, he mounted his broom and flew into the air moments before a figure turned the corner and began walking to the front door.

Harry froze mid-air, he had missed her face but he knew it was a women. She was wearing muggle clothing but that wasn't what made Harry do a double take. She had red hair, not Weasley red, but a deep auburn shade that hung straight and thick past her shoulders. He moved forward slowly, following behind because his instincts were telling him he needed to see her face, at present he could not make out any more than her back view.

She stopped walking suddenly; pausing to lean her head forward as if listing carefully, and Harry froze once more, giving a silent sigh of relief when she resumed walking. He didn't try to follow her again, instead he watched her retreating figure disappear out the door and considered his options.

If he wanted to, Harry could catch up with the women on his broom in seconds. But then that would mean a confrontation, and if his suspicions were correct…

'_Your imagining it'_ he told himself.

He turned and flew the other direction, deciding to take the Slytherin way out. Ignoring the occasional shrieks and shouts from the portraits, Harry maneuvered through the halls of Hogwarts at top speed, praying he didn't run into anyone else.

He dismounted when he reached his room, rushing to the side table, he paused as he glimpsed the burnt and halved pieces of his wand and remembered a very vital fact.

He didn't have a wand.

Cursing his luck, he lifted the shrunken trunk off the table and carried it to the floor. Sitting down, Harry took a deep breath and placed both his hands over the tiny chest, and muttered the counter spell.

"Engorgio"

When nothing happened he took several more deep calming breaths and tried again, "Engorgio"

"ENGORGIO!"

The trunk expanded outwards with a pop and Harry didn't waste time wondering how he had managed it. Instead he tore through his belongings, throwing them every which way to look for a specific item.

Halfway down the trunk he paused and smacked his head on the lid of the trunk, hard.

"Stupid! Stupid!" standing he rushed back to the side table and lifted the Marauders Map from where it had been the entire time, _on the side desk_.

Praying it would work again, he raised the hand that wasn't holding the map upright over it.

"I solemnly swear that I'm up to no good!"

He hadn't realized he had been holding his breath until he let it out in a rush; slowly ink began to spread outwards from the center of the parchment, familiar lines and curves outlining even more familiar rooms and passageways.

Slowly, being the keyword there, the map began to fill at a snails pace. It seemed to Harry, as though there were cosmic forces trying to keep him from getting what he wanted.

He could do nothing but wait until the ink outlined the Hogwarts grounds. He took notice absently that Dumbledore pacing in his office, and Filch the caretaker, down in his office.

After what felt like years, Harry watched the lines of ink move closer to the edge of the page, which was in actuality the fence leading out into Hogsmeade.

Time seemed to stop for Harry as everything from the ticking of the wall clock to his own pounding heartbeat, seemed to stop as he caught the edge of a name as it disappeared of the top of the parchment.

He crumpled to the floor, not bothering to find a chair at all, and stared in disbelief at the map in front of him.

"You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, "**ter**?"

He should have stayed inside his room.

(-----)

_'I hope he' s stayed in his room_'

As soon as Lily had left, Dumbledore rose from his desk and began to pace.

The visit had been most enlightening, he mused, most enlightening indeed. He had thought that the blood test results would have be the last piece of the puzzle. But he had over looked the fact that the he had truly believed the boy was Harry Potter. With or without proof.

That had left him with a hole in his theory, a crack in his logic whenever he thought of the fate of the older Potter's. Lily's dream had filled in that gap. Certainly he still had questions.

For one, if both James and Lily had been murdered, how had baby Harry survived? Had the version of himself there arrived on time that night?

But that could all wait, thinking of his role in the past made his chest ache, and so the old headmaster focused instead on how he knew there was in fact another version of himself in the first place. One that was, (he assumed from the stilted dialog between him and Harry at their first meeting), dead.

Dumbledore remembered the days when he and his colleague Nicholas Flamel spent hours on end, doing random works of alchemy. They had had many conversations; most of the time they had disagreed and ended up debating. There had been a day when the subject of alternate dimensions and travel between them, had come up.

Dumbledore had said, "if there ever were other worlds which were made up by each persons individual choices, then the amount of dimensions created would be uncountable, and if new dimensions were being created each minuet, the prospect of travel between them would be absurd. Your chance of ending up in the same world you started out in, are none to none."

He believed that was why, by the natural order of things, that though dimension traveling was impossible, that they do still existed.

Flamel had disputed, " if it were by the natural order that hinders dimension traveling, then it would be by natural order not to allow the existence of the alternate worlds in the first place" he'd said, "if something were to happen to one of the realms, say that is collapsed into itself, would it effect the other realms? If say they were to bleed into each other, billions upon billions of the same people, would that not cause and therefore go against the natural order in itself? Dimension travel is not possible," he had finished, "because alternative dimensions do not exist."

Still to this day it had been one of Albus' many theories he had wished to prove, and now finally he had, living proof, just a floor below him. He now knew without a doubt that this Harry came from another realm. Lily suspected that something was off, but was unsure of why she felt a connection to the boy, and Dumbledore would have to explain to her as well, eventually. But first came the hard part.

Convincing Harry.

Dumbledore resumed pacing, as he thought of ways to break it to the boy. How do you tell someone that they would never see all of their friends and loved ones again? And even if they do, those people would have no idea who you were.

In all the years that Albus had lived- and there were many- he had never felt so powerless to help someone. He could not send Harry back to his world because he didn't know how the boy had gotten to _this one_ in the first place. For obvious reasons Harry himself couldn't tell him.

Albus could tell that the boy had already had a hard life, if the state he had arrived in was any indication. And Dumbledore, like any other normal person, disliked being the bearer of bad news, but he knew he would have to. And it was better to get it over with as soon as possible rather than delay any moment longer.

Drawing in a deep breath, he headed for the exit of his office.

A while later found Dumbledore tentatively rapping on Harry's door. When no response came he knocked again, louder this time. Pressing his ear against the door, he heard nothing on the other side and felt his brows turn into a frown. Another moment of silence fed Dumbledore fears and he turned the knob, opening the door and calling out as he stepped in.

"Har-"

"BANG!"

Dumbledore froze and locked eyes with the boy in front of him brandishing a quill as a wand, another couple seconds passed before Harry realized what he was holding and awkwardly put it back onto the desk he was working on.

"Sorry you surprised me" Dumbledore raised his eyebrows at the mumbled apology, he watched as Harry lifted the chair that had fallen back when the boy had stood so quickly.

What had disturbed him about the entire situation was not how Harry had been taken aback, but how he reacted to it. It saddened Albus that the first thought for the boy had been to grab the nearest object as a weapon. And had he mistaken the quill for a wand, then it saddened him even further that he thought of a wand as a weapon.

His musings had made him miss Harry's question, and he blinked to see him looking at him expectantly at him, "I'm sorry what did you say"

Harry shrugged and went back to collecting the parchment that had fallen of the desk, "never mind"

Dumbledore watched him for a moment before noticing for the first time, the clothes books and other random things strewn across the floor of the usually meticulously clean room. On the desk itself, were a pile of new parchment and a bottle of ink. He walked over to the bed and fingered 'The Standard book of Spells' level 6, which had been thrown across it.

"I'm going to assume that all of these things came from the sealed pocket? And if they were shrunken, did you un-shrink them then with..."

He let the sentence hang. Harry didn't respond. Dumbledore hadn't expected one.

"Ah, you certainly are talented then" a light pink began to stain Harry's cheeks and Dumbledore let go of the subject with a small smile.

Moving closer to the desk he peered at some of the words on the many parchments spread around and filled up with writing, "Alabaster, Bewter, Carter, Dewter…" he frowned, "may I ask what you are working on?"

The stain grew deeper as Harry looked around at the strewn paperwork, "Umm, actually I was trying to list as many names that I could that ended in 'ter'" he explained.

Dumbledore found himself lifting his eyebrows for the second time in minutes, was Harry really _that _bored?

"I kinda got stuck on the letter E," he continued, scratching the back of his head sheepishly.

"I would think" Dumbledore said slowly, " if you were trying to list names that end in 'ter' then the first one you would think of is your own."

Harry's shoulders seemed to slump and he gave a humorless smile. "Right, Potter, of course"

Confused at the entire scene, Dumbledore decided a diversion was in order, " I trust you slept well last night?"

Harry head snapped up towards him once more "oh right, I forgot to thank you for the potion"

Dumbledore was already waving his hand in a dismissive gesture before Harry even finished his sentence, "I figured you could use the rest, but you must be careful with the Dreamless Sleep potion, though its extremely effective, it is also extremely addictive."

While Harry nodded in understanding, a part of Dumbledore mind noted that, what he'd just said rhymed and that it would be a good slogan for St.Mungos.

He came back just in time to catch Harry mumbling "don't really need another dream right now"

Dumbledore paused and weighed his next words carefully, " yes dreams are fickle things," he began "they can make you question that which you were so sure of before...or give answers to that which you were not."

Harry was watching him wearily now and Dumbledore decided to cut to the chase, "you see I had the most strangest of dreams last night, I dreamt that I left a child who's parents had just been murdered onto the doorstop of relatives I suspected would abuse him"

Harry stiffened and Dumbledore rushed to continue, " then years later I dreamt that same child asking me what I saw in the mirror of desire"

(-----)

Aggravated by the reminder of how much his family had hated him, Harry snapped, "so you dreamt of the past," he barely stopped himself from adding a 'Big Deal!' to the end, but could tell Dumbledore knew just what he had refrained from saying.

"No, no, no my dear boy" Albus intoned, choosing to ignore Harry's bitter tone, "that is where you are wrong. For I have no recollection of ever placing a child into the care of muggles"

Harry frowned, "did you lose your memory then? Did it happen when you came back? Is that why you asked me who I was?"

Albus blinked at the torrent of rapid fired questions, "came back..." his voice trailed off and a look of dawning crossed over his face.

Shaking his head Albus stood and headed for the door, "it seems as though it is going to take more than speech to say this, follow me Harry" with that he swept out of the room.

Harry delayed, he was already ticked off because of the centaurs cryptic message, the strange women and then the blasted ter he'd caught on the map. He thought of ignoring Dumbledore and staying in his room, but bulked at the idea as he considered the alternative, he would go crazy if he was left alone with his thoughts. Instead he stood and ran after the headmaster.

Walking behind him, something told Harry he wasn't going to like whatever Albus had to tell show him. It might have been because the way the headmaster was walking. In that stiff serious way that reminded Harry of how he walked when they had left to look for the locket horcrux, this is how Harry liked to remember him; Strong, fierce and determined.

Fit too, for what seemed like 50 sets of stairs later, they stopped at the seventh floor, and once again Harry recognized his surroundings. He rubbed his left leg down, the Healer had said he'd snapped the bone in half, and had had to have it re-grown, add that to four days of being in a coma and having nothing but potions running through him. Harry wasn't all that surprised that not only had his muscle density drastically decreased, but his endurance as well.

Panting, he watched Dumbledore walk back and forth three times in front of a familiar wall. Sure enough large golden doors appeared and Albus turned to him with a flourish of his hands as if to say 'ta-da!'

Harry didn't want to waste any more time, "what are we doing at the Room of Requirement?"

Dumbledore hand flourishing stopped but his smile only seemed to get wider, "I should have guessed you would already know about it, when did you find out?"

"5'th year"

"Really?" he seemed a bit put out by this, "it took me until the beginning of my 7nth"

He turned and the doors opened of their own accord, "After you"

Wearily Harry stepped in the room, not having a clue at this point of what to expect. He stepped on to the other side and into inky blackness. Reflexively he reached into his pocket before realizing his wandless situation hadn't changed.

A spotlight shone on him a moment later, illuminating only the place he was standing, Harry looked up but couldn't place the source of the light, it looked as though it was coming from the sky.

Another spotlight lit up, this time on Dumbledore standing only a few feet away. Beside him was a floating round object about half the headmasters length but twice the width. Squinting, Harry could make out the blue and brown portions of the spinning globe; it was Earth.

"This is Earth." Albus moved to stand in front of the globe, "for this demonstration I am going to use myself as an example. Say one day I am walking down the street and find myself at a fork in the road. Which way do I go?"

It wasn't rhetorical, "err- left?"

"Left, alright say I decide to turn left, I bump into this women who turns out to be my soul mate we fall in love, get married and live happily ever after."

Harry raised an eyebrow.

"Now say instead of turning left, I decided to go right." The globe behind him spilt with a pop, becoming two identical but smaller earths. "This time I walked into the middle of a brawl, got hit and lose all of my memory. Now what does this tell you?"

"Um- avoid right turns?"

"Think Harry!" Dumbledore said loudly, "The outcomes of my futures, were completely different based on that _one decision_. Have you ever considered, after every decision you make, _what if_? What if you had done the alternative? What if things had turned out differently?"

'_Only every second of every day,_' Harry thought sardonically.

"Now we are dipping into the realm of guess work and theories my boy," Dumbledore said, "I need you to keep an open mind. Imagine, for a moment, that through the simple choice of turning right or left I created another world. In this one the people are celebrating a marriage, while in this they are mourning a loss. There are now two worlds, with the same people and the same environment, but different situations to mold them into different people, two dimensions. One the original, while the other the alternate."

Something prickled at the back of Harry mind, he pushed it aside and spoke, "so if you happen to come across another fork in that world-"

"Yes! Another world would be created," the globes spit once more as he spoke into three identical spheres, " and so on and so forth Harry. Then every choice, every alternative, every outcome to every event, every possibility, every _situation_ that could have gone another way becomes a pivotal point. And is allowed to exist in is own world"

By the time Dumbledore had finished speaking the globes had stopped dividing, and about 50 miniature earths now surrounded him.

Harry blinked, again he felt that tingling for something to be acknowledged, but pushed it back once more.

"While this is all well and interesting, what's it got to do with _me_?"

The room suddenly filled with light and by the time Harry's eyes adjusted the globes were gone, leaving him standing in a room that looked just like the Gryffindor common room.

He turned his questioning gaze back to Dumbledore, who was standing by the fireplace, the headmaster explained, "I thought you would find these surroundings comforting. I assumed you were Gryffindor by the robes I caught sight of in the room"

Before Harry could question him further, a burst of flames caused him to jump back. The newly appeared phoenix gave a little melodious trill, flew towards Harry and dropped a thin bag in his hands.

"The answer to your question is in that bag," Dumbledore said, absentmindedly petting the phoenix that just landed on his shoulder.

Wearily Harry opened the bag and turned it over. Two folders fell out, one labeled 'Harry James Potter', and the other 'U-Ward Patient #27'. He glanced up at the headmaster, but the older mans face gave nothing away.

He opened the first folder and skimmed through its writing. It was a list of all his injuries and treatments that he'd received at the U-Ward, there was a record of spells he had bee _supposedly_ hit with. Supposedly was underlined and in bold letters. There were question marks beside a few things like the _avada kedavra_ curse, the scar on his forehead and the scar on his hand.

Nothing he didn't already know, closing and putting the folder down Harry reached for the second. He sneaked another peek at Dumbledore hoping for a hint, no help there.

He opened the second file, the one with his name on it. It started out with a list of all prenatal tests done to his mother and the results of them. Then went on to record the details of his birth. After skimming through the directory of postnatal tests, Harry wondered how such a small folder would detail his medical history. He turned the page and froze.

In the background he heard Dumbledore speak, "the reason I told you about my theory on alternate dimensions Harry. Is because _you_ are from an alternate dimension."

The prickling thought at the back of his head exploded.

'_as injured as you were…no I cant say that I have'_

'_you do not belong here stranger'_

"The file you hold in your hand tells the fate of what happened to the Harry Potter in this world. Who suffered the tragic fate of dying at such a young age. Now you stand here before me, alive if not well, when I personally handled the burial procedures for you 16 years past."

His knees gave out as he stared at the parchment with unfocused eyes.

'_Approximate time of death- 10:30 pm Cause- killing curse Age- 15 months'_

"Add that to the evidence that no one here recognizes you, myself included, when in your eyes you were probably well acquainted withus all-"

'_you are a stranger to me'_

'_what is you name?'  
_

Dumbeldore continued to speak, but Harry caught only snippits like 'wand' and 'invisibility cloak'

"And last but not least, the fact that in this world both Lily and James Potter are alive"

This snapped Harry out of his revere, "alive?" he echoed.

Now he remembered the women, who seemed so familiar to him. now he knew why instinct had been pushing him to see her face. She had been here today, his mother.

"did you see her?" Dumbledore asked in a startled voice, and Harry realized he must have said the last part aloud.

So it was true, she had been here, he had been only a few feet away from his mother and he had chickened out, he had bee so clo-

**ter**'

It all made sense now.

So many thoughts were running through Harry head at such a fast pace he didn't have time to register any of it. Explanations and reasons wove themselves around, changed and formed, but all of it kept coming down to just one thought.

'_My parents are alive'_

(-----)

Dumbledore walked foreword until he stood in front of the boy. Harry either was completely ignoring him, or so lost in his thoughts that he hadn't even noticed he was there.

Dumbledore strongly suspected the latter.

If it had been hard for him to tell Harry that he was from alternate world, it was nothing compared t watching him, his emerald eyes distant, mind probably just as far away.

Dumbledore knelt until he was face to face with him, "would you like to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?"

It took a few seconds, but eventually Harry blinked himself back and stared at him in confusion.

"What?"

"You would be starting your seventh year yes?" his eyes pleaded with Harry to play along.

"um-right, 7nth year. That's correct." He looked as though he was surprised he could form a coherent sentence.

Dumbledore just had to keep him in this train of thought, "Perfect! The Heads of houses will be here to tomorrow t see which class criteria you would like to specialize in."

That snapped Harry out of his daze, "what, tomorrow!"

"Its just that they are coming together for a our board meeting , I figured… your right that was too presumptuous of me-"

"No, no tomorrows fine" he was silent for a while, and Dumbledore decided to speak before he got lost in his thoughts once more.

"I will have to tell them too eventually Harry."

He didn't have to explain to him who 'they' were. A flash of panic crossed his eyes before he nodded in understanding.

"Can I…can you give me some time before-"

"Of course Harry, I'll only tell them when your ready."

(-----)

Harry didn't sleep that night; instead he lay awake for hours on end replaying what had just happened in the Room of Requirement. His dreams, when he finally fell asleep, were plagued with images of his mom and dad jumping from one little earth globe to another, but always out of his reach.

* * *

Whew! My longest chapter yet. All together now…YAY UPDATE! Lol. I need you guys to do me a favor here since I updated so fast… 

Ok OK! Faster than usual, I need you to copy and paste your favorite, line or paragraph from this chapter or tell me which part you liked best and why. Reasonable? No?

Whatever. Till next time.


	10. Chapter 10

Here is a summary of what you need to remember from prev chapters, if you don't need it skip to after the line:

Harry falls into the AU world during an order meeting at Godricks Hollow. McGonagall took him to St.Mungoes where he -after a horrible nightmare- caused an MPD. Dumbledore after much much research, realizes Harry is from an AU. Harry is now in Hogwarts, he had a talk with a Centaur and a close run-in with his mother (ter) . Lily suspects something is up and cannot take her mind of the boy that fell into her living room. So far it has been revealed both she and Dumbledore have dreamt of cannon Harry's past. Dumbledore finally told the truth to Harry being from a different world and convinced him to attend Hogwarts for his seventh year, also said he will allow Harry time to decide to meet his parents.

On with the story,previews for the next chapter and excuses for the late update at the end.

* * *

Silence descended, and all conversation stopped the moment Harry walked into the Great Hall the next morning. Of the four participants, three simply stared at him -mouths agape, eyes wide. Harry briefly considered turning around and walking out. After all, he hadn't really been in his right mind when he'd agreed to it in the first place.

He didn't look at his surrounding, focusing instead on berating himself for the 100th time that morning for actually _agreeing _to be put through school. Even if the school was Hogwarts.

"Good morning Harry!" Dumbledore said, eyes twinkling as though he knew what had run through Harry mind just moments ago. Harry wearily approached the huddle the four professors had made in the center of the Great Hall. "Fellow colleagues, I introduce Harry James Potter" Harry frowned at Dumbledore use of dramatization. He fidgeted nervously as the 'fellow colleagues' stared shamelessly.

He felt as though it was first year all over again.

He turned to look at each professor individually as they were in turn introduced, McGonagall still had the same strict bun and square glasses, Flitwick was still tiny with a shock of white hair, and Sprout with her earthy robes and patched hat had not changed a bit. They all looked exactly the same as he remembered. For a moment Harry let himself imagine he was still just a student who'd walked into the Great Hall in that forbidden early hour when only the professors resided.

They spoke all at once, and the fantasy shattered.

"Goodness he looks just like his father!" McGonagall breathed.

"Except for the eyes! He's got Lily's eyes!" Flitwick piped up.

"Switch green for hazel and its 1977 all over again!" Sprout exclaimed.

With a stab Harry realized that he was a stranger to these people, they had never taught him, never before given him tons homework and, in McGonagall case, detentions.

The reverse was also true. They were all strangers to him as well.

_Strangers with Familiar faces_

The line seemed to fit his situation perfectly. With another pang Harry realized he did not even know what had happened to the professor counter-parts in his world, didn't even knew if they had survived. Maybe they hadn't.

_'And some nutter actually claimed that whatever you don't know, can't hurt you.'_

Harry- for once - agreed wholeheartedly with his snide inner voice. Not knowing the fate of his friends in the other world hurt. Badly.

And in the center of it all stood Dumbledore, "Now that you have all been introduced- some for the second time," he smiled sympathetically at Harry, "lets get down to business shall we." He gestured to their surroundings and for the first time since walking in that morning Harry realized the House tables had been pushed up against the wall. Each was stacked with so many pounds and piles of books and materials, that Harry began to seriously doubt his ability to get into any NEWT classes.

He turned back as Dumbledore spoke again, " We have set up a schedule for you Harry, designed to review as much information as possible in the smallest time. That is to say for the next 2 days you will have a crash course of sixth year before the exams on Friday."

Friday? The panic must have shown on his face. Why else would McGonagall put a comforting arm around his shoulder and smile down at him?

"Its really not as hard as Albus makes it out to sound, you've already learned everything it'll simply be summary of it all," she said.

Harry turned to stare aghast at the arm,. He didn't know which out of character action to analyze first.

The body contact, the comforting words- or the _smile_.

He settled for blinking owlishly at her, and realized when McGonagall gave his shoulder another squeeze, he must have looked as though he was freaking out over the crash course test.

_Strangers with Familiar faces_

Differences were good, he tried to convince himself. If Harry could focus on all the differences he would remember his place, that this was not his world, and that he didn't belong here.

Dumbledore continued, "We have decided to allow each course 2 hours, and each professor will be reviewing two courses with you. That way, you'll have at least four hours of review for each course."

"With professor McGonagall you will be reviewing Transfiguration and Arithmancy... "

Said professor beamed at him in a way reminiscent of Molly Weasley, "It's good to see you recovered and healthy, gave us all quite a shock"

" With professor Flitwick you will be taking Charms -of course- and Ancient Runes, with Professor Sprout it will be Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures. And finally for Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts, you will be reviewing with the Professor Snape. "

At the name Harry stilled, so Snape was still a professor here as well? Harry wondered how that was still possible. If his parents never died in this world, but he did, then why would Dumbledore still hire him?

It literally hurt his head to think of Snape's role in his past, and so Harry focused instead on how he felt about the man himself. He repeated the name in his head, '_Snape'._

It invoked no feeling, nothing. He simply felt nothing. As if his pity for the man balanced his loathing, and his anger balanced the little respect he'd gained for him near the end.

Of course he still hated him.That was something Harry new would never change. But it was an acknowledged sort of hatred, brought on by years of mistreatment, akin to how he felt of the Dursley's. No longer though, did it carry the flag of fury behind it. Anger so raw and deep he could almost taste it, and so profound his mouth foamed and hands fisted simply at the mention of the name.

No, now it was only an acknowledged anger, comparable to that of a child's anger at vegetables.

"Well, he seems _oddly _absent at the moment" McGonagall said, lips tightening in an all too familiar way.

"I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't show up at all" Sprout added and Flitwick seemed to bob is little head in silent agreement.

As though he heard the challenge, the Great Hall doors swept open and Harry stiffened as he heard the familiar _Click- Whoosh _ of the approaching Professor. Click of the heel, and the whoosh of the cloak as it followed behind.

'_Click-Whoosh Click-Whoosh' _

The sound was foreboding, and Harry, his back facing the front doors- found himself having an internal pep talk.

_Strangers with Familiar faces, they are all Strangers with Familiar faces._

The approach stopped and by his right ear Harry heard the cool familiar voice of Professor Snape "I apologize for the delay, I ran into Peeves who insisted on a welcome back present."

Steeling himself to meet the usual dark mocking gaze of the Potions Professor, Harry spun on his feet to face the Snape of this world.

_Differences, look for differences_

The first thing he noticed was the gruesome looking scar that ran from Snape's left eye, across his cheek and down to turn the corner of his mouth into a grotesque permanent half smirk.

_Well... that's certainly different_

"No worries Severus, I just finished explaining the schedule we agreed upon for the next few days to Harry here, and to state the obvious, " Dumbledore voice stayed pleasant, but Harry detected a slight bit of steel as he said the next word, " This is Harry Potter"

There was a a hush as Snape turned his head and gave a slight nod in Harry general direction. " We've heard quite a bit about you. Nice to put a name to face"

Not that Harry had been expecting another gush of how he looked like his father, but he also hadn't been expecting - dare he say - _pleasant _words, albeit in a neutral tone from the Potions professor.

There was irony in his words however, as Snape seemed to be looking anywhere _**but**_ Harrys face. Currently his black eyes were focused on a location somewhere past his left shoulder.

Which could, perhaps, count as a blessing as Harry couldn't seem to take his eyes off the scar on Snapes face.

In that case, I shall take my leave The headmaster's statement was what broke Harry's open gawking at the Potions Professor.

"You're leaving?" He winced at the panicked tone in his voice.

Dumbledore paused, "Ah yes! I almost forgot" he reached into the folds of his robe and pulled out a long wooden object. "As I am certain you can do some wandless magic, you will need a this " He laid the object on his open palm for Harry to take.

"My wand!" Harry exclaimed. "Where did you fi-

"No Harry, " Dumbledore interrupted, voice weary all of the sudden, "your wand is still in demolished pieces. This I recently purchased from Olivanders."

Harry lifted the wand and felt the familiar jolt run through him, 11 inches, made of holly with one phoenix feather. It lay comfortably in the nook between his fingers and his thumb as though it had been there for years. Because, Harry realized, it had. This was _his_ wand, but it didn't belong to him.

"I'm sorry Harry," Dumbledore said softly, and Harry lifted his eyes from the wand to hold the headmasters gaze. He wasn't simply apologizing for the wand.

Harry froze as the truth hit him, hard. Dumbledore didn't know how to send him home, had no clue where to start, for neither of them had any idea how he had managed to land in an alternate world in the first place. The older wizard held his gaze, blue eyes pleading with him to understand.

Harry looked away first, no longer able to hide the yearning for anything, _anyone_ familiar, in his eyes.

"Do your best Harry... as will I" He understood the double meaning and nodded as he clutched the new _-old_- wand tightly in his hand. Harry swallowed to form some words of gratitude for all Dumbledore had done, but he could not seem to speak around the lump that had suddenly formed in his throat.

Dumbledore smiled in understanding, then gestured behind Harry. Turning, Harry realized the professors had all gone to their prospective tables and began to set up, in order to give them privacy as they spoke. " I'll let you get started then."

With a final smile the Headmaster of Hogwarts turned in a flurry of sea blue robes and disappeared out the door. It closed behind him with an ominous click.

Bracing himself for the next 8 hours, Harry turned around.

()

Transfiguration was first, McGonagall practically growled at all the other professors as she dragged him away with a steel grip on his arm. She let it go only when they reached her table, instead she stood beaming with a wide smile across her lips and an expectant look in her eyes.

Harry felt obligated to tell her he hadn't inherited his Fathers particular gift with transfiguration.

He'd had to say the same thing to Flitwick about his non-existent gift with charms as well. Not surprisingly, both professors enthusiasm fell dramatically by the end of each hour.

Dinner was called as Dumbledore reentered the hall. And not a moment to soon, as Harry was glad to escape the runes problem he was reviewing with Flitwick.

A table had been placed in the center of the hall, where they had all been standing just that morning. The house elves had set up the chairs and food unnoticed by Harry.

He was seated near the front of the table next to Dumbledore, who sat at the head. Beside him McGonagall, but Harry couldn't keep the surprise out of his face when Snape took the seat directly across from him and to the left of Dumbledore.

Harry was content to listen as the professor discussed everything from the Quiditch world games (who knew Flitwick was a Tornadoes fan?), to the upcoming school year. But he was pulled into the conversation suddenly when professor McGonagall grabbed his hands, (as they were reached for the bread basket), and covered them with hers.

Bewildered, Harry turned to face her as she spoke.

"I don't think you understand how much of a miracle it is to have you sitting next to us here today." her eyes shown bright behind her glasses.

Harry felt his face grow hot, more still as Flitwick spoke from the other end of the table.

"You are absolutely correct Minerva, and I for one count it a true- true blessing to have met you Harry"

His mortification however, was complete when Sprout raised her goblet in the air and pronounced 'A toast! To Harry Potter!"

"To Harry!"

"To Harry!"

"To Harry" Dumbledore's amusement was evident in his voice.

He glanced at Snape, more thankful than ever, that the potions professor had maintained a perfect polished empty mask as he only tipped his glass.

McGonagall had let go of his hands during the toast, and Harry took the opportunity to shove them under the table less she make another grab for them. Professor Sprout launched into a story about his father and Sirius during their school days.

They had apparently tried growing a _particular_ plant in her class, which upon burning, sent the entire class to the Infirmary with glazed eyes, as all the students seemed to find everything and anything amusing, stumbled around, or sat for hours staring at the same thing, and saw 'pretty colors'.

Harry found himself laughing aloud at the thought of James and Sirius getting half their year high, then not caring about any detention or punishment as they thought Sprout was Mother Nature.

A stunned silence filled the room, even Snape had paused in his eating to stare. It took a moment before Harry to realize this was the first time he'd laughed- actually laughed - since he'd woken from his coma.

"You may look like James Harry, but I'm finding your more and more like your mother," McGonagall said smiling.

Harry looked at Snape to try and catch his eye, but the Potions professor had looked back down. McGonagall followed his gaze, and leaning back slightly on her chair said.

"Do you not think so as well Severus? We have yet to hear your opinion on this entire matter." She was no longer smiling.

When Snape said nothing, Flitwick came to his rescue "I'm sure Severus thinks it is a miracle as well, do you not?" the tiny voice inquired.

Snape nodded with a cool sort of detachment belayed only by the clenching of his fist around his fork.

_Interesting_ Harry noted.

The surprises continued after dinner had wrapped up, his first hour with Sprout had gone as expected. She'd graded him acceptable and looked pleased with his handling of the Recure root. He managed to repot it without dying horribly of its poisons or butchering its paper- like roots.

But at the end of the 2nd hour she suddenly pulled Harry into a bear hug, much to his shock. At least McGonagall hadn't done _that_.

Well, not in _this_ world.

"What... what was that for?" he asked when she'd finally released him. The Herbology Professor paused in the process of piling up her teachers notes.

"You looked like you needed one".

She'd said it as though that explained everything, then beaming at Harry's expression (it was a cross between bewilderment and embarrassment) flounced out of the Great Hall.

Yes, honest to Merlin, _flounced_ . The entire day was beginning to border on ridiculous.

But the biggest bewilderment was yet to come, his lessons with Snape went _nothing_ as he'd imagined. Not even remotely close to any of his encounters with the Potion Professor's counterpart.

At first, Snape has asked Harry to produce a recipe list for a potion already mixed. Harry had been extra careful, but still manages to fumble on some of the ingredients.

Snape had said nothing.

When he'd expected to get yelled at for confusing the newt eyes for the frogs he'd gotten " Common mistake. The trick is to notice that newt eyes are slightly yellow tinged while the frogs are pink."

When he'd expected a scorning when stirring in the wrong direction at first before correcting himself, he'd gotten "It's a good trick to stir in the opposite direction at first to get the ingredients reacting before stirring in the correct one.

The kicker had been when Harry produced reddish pink substance instead of a light pink, and Snape had determined the mixture to be _adequate. _

That might as well have meant outstanding coming from Snape. Harry never got an adequate. _Hermione_ got adequate's, and she was nearly always perfect.

The strangeness continued, by the second hour Harry deliberately blundered wand movements he could do in his sleep. He asked question after question "Is there a stealth spell that can get past a Stealth Sensoring curse? Why is the pepper breath spell considered defensive if it gives the target fiery breath? Is the Permanent Sticking Charm really permanent? Can a messenger spell be used on owls? What would happed if 2 Bogart's faced each other? How do Dementors spawn?"

Anything and everything he tried, just to get more that a monotone response, simply to see some sort of _reaction _or feelings. He was butchering Defense Against the Dark Arts, which was not only his favorite subject, but Snape's as well. Yet the man didn't even get angry.

What was worse, was that Snape had yet to look at him in the eye. When he spoke, it was either to the books, or the cauldron, or the notes or -his most familiar place - above Harry's left shoulder.

In the end, Harry gave up. He'd come to the conclusion that this world was insane. Nothing, _nothing_ he could think of could change Snape to be almost...

He couldn't think of a word. _Nice_- did not work entirely. _Pleasant _was a bit of a stretch and _normal_ was the bastard he was back in Harry world.

Harry suppressed a shudder, this _nice _version of Snape put him on edge more that his counterpart. He was not disheartened when their lessons came to a close.

"Last thing I want you to do today " Snape said to his notes "Show me one defense move spell or conjure that your most comfortable in-"

Harry didn't even have to think about it, it was as easy as breathing to him at this point. The moment his Patronus shot from his wand however, Snape's eyes widened and his normally sallow complexion turned even paler, causing his scar to stand out unpleasantly.

_A reaction!_

It didn't last long, Snape quickly gathered his composure and began packing all his notes, "Good work, we'll pick up where we left off tomorrow", and before he knew it Harry was left alone in the Great Hall.

Good work? _Good Work?_

"This world is mad isn't it?" He asked his Patronus, the stag nodded in agreement before disappearing into white mist.

Hours later found Harry in his room, pouring through book after book and writing essay after essay. And though he'd always been an alright student, he was currently bordering on excessive. It was not that he enjoyed the review the professor had given him to finish for tomorrow. It was simply that, trying to figure out how the Lycanthropy curse connected to the properties of Monkwood was much simpler than the alternative - thinking about his parents.

And when he gave himself breaks between each hour, he brainstormed all the many_**,**_ many ways Snape might have gotten his scar. The best theory so far had been that the professor had stood in front of an enchanted mirror, which in turn committed suicide by shattering outwards in protest.

For hours_**,**_ all he did was contemplate, pour over, speculate and review. All to keep the nudging thought at the edge of his mind from slipping out.

He put aside another pile of notes. He was making good progress, but for some reason everything seemed to be easier now than before. Now that he thought back to his sixth year he remembered it being more difficult, but then again_**,**_ he was just repeating what he had already learned.

He also had to factor in that he hadn't had to do final exams the last time around. They where cancelled- because of Dumbledore's funeral. Dumbledore who was now alive.

The thought burst _out_ - _your parents are alive_

Angrily, Harry slammed his book shut. The thought had been interrupting - _poking_**,**_ nagging -_ at him all day, and he was sick of it.

What did he need parents for? He had done fine without them for 16 years. He was of age now, what could they possibly do for him?

He tried to mute the counter-arguments, but one still managed to escape:

_Love you._

His anger drained as fast as it had approached_**;**_ bone weary exhaustion settled over him_**,**_ and Harry spoke to the empty room.

"Who ever said that they would?"

()

Minerva stared out of the window in her office watching as the sky slowly brightened with the approaching sun. She knew it would be a few more hours before the other castle occupants began to stir. The cup of tea in her hand grew cold as it lay untouched in her hands.

She'd gone to sleep happy, she was sure of it. She had even been smiling, which Albus tells her she doesn't do enough. She had had a good day. Her summer had been the usual but she had certainly not expected to be told she would teach a boy who had not existed days ago. And when he had, had been horribly injured.

She had been happy, full of hope for the world and new faith in life. She had not fallen asleep with conflicted thoughts, had not rested with anything but course schedules and the upcoming school year on her mind. She had not eaten anything funny, or drank anything before going to bed either.

Then what had happened?

"Minerva?" It was a soft voice, yet it still startled the Transfiguration professor. She turned to see the headmaster at the door. "The door was open" he explained.

For a moment she wondered what he was doing up so early, but another look at the window showed her the sun has already risen. She blinked. When had it done that?

"Deep in thought?"

Minerva smiled guiltily and gestured for Albus to come in.

"Thinking about Harry?" he asked when he sat down across from her.

"You could say that, " she paused, thinking for a moment. She'd always been able to confide anything and everything to Albus, why was she hesitating now?

Because she was scared.

Her hands shook slightly as she rested the tea cup back onto her desk, spilling a few cold drops on her hand.

Albus said nothing, did not comment, simply waited for her to regain her composure.

Taking another deep breath she began "I had a dream last night...

**She saw the Death Eater approach the crouched boy from behind, all around her the battle waged and yet she knew she had to intervene "Impedimenta!" she yelled, watching with slight satisfaction as the Death Eater blew meters away.**

**She ran towards the boy, **_**why was he on the ground?**_** as she drew nearer she saw him lay the body he was cradling moments ago, gently onto the floor. **

**She saw the blood first, **_**so much blood **_** then the red hair, then the face. She drew back, staggered and gagged as she stared down at her pupil, the youngest of the Weasely's.**

**"Is she-" her eyes filled and her vision grew blurry. Minerva blinked back the tears, now was not the time. "Is she-" her mouth couldn't form the word.**

**The boy didn't respond, he calmly crossed the girls arms over her chest. **

**Minerva felt as though she had been hit by 4 stunners again. **_**She was dead**_**.**

_**So much blood**_** , with snap she straightened her backbone, turning away. The boy was staring up at the sky, the sun was beginning to set. She called his name.**

**"Potter! Potter! Harry!" he tilted his head in her direction to look at her. No, not at her **_**through her**_**. His face oddly devoid of any emotion, he looked down at the body once more.**

**Minerva fought the urge to force his head back to her direction, instead she spoke in fierce commanding voice, "Finish it Harry! You have to finish it! It has to be over tonight! Harry!" she was practically screaming to be heard over the sounds in the background.**

**A whiz was heard, a green light passed inches away from her face. The Death Eater was back, and the look on his face said he wanted revenge. She didn't have much time.**

**He stood slowly, still staring down at Ginn****y****, blank look still in place. Minerva refused to look down she fought back another stab of pain. **

**She was growing desperate "Harry! You have to go after him, listen to me Harry. HARRY!"**

**Whoosh this time, another spell, closer. She turned to find it had hit a house elf that had been armed with only a spatula. The elf crumbled to the floor, its large eyes wide with shock **_**pain**_**, Minerva looked away.**

**Harry had seen as well, emerald eyes met hers at last but Minerva was not prepared. She literally stepped back at their cold determined intensity. His fingers clutched tightly around a gold chain in his hand.**

**"I'll finish it" his mummer was heard clearly in the deadly quiet, as the battle lapsed for 2 heartbeats.**

**Minerva couldn't respond, Dawlish was upon her. **

()

"How did you feel in the dream? Where were you? Watching on the side as this all happened?" Albus asked softly after a few minutes.

Minerva was shaking her head before he finished the question, "No, that's the thing_,_ you see. I wasn't watching_,_ I was in it. The entire thing felt more like..." she pursed her lips and continued, "During the dream I kept remembering all these other little thing_,_ such as getting hit by four stunners in front of Hagrid's hut. It was like a memory within another memory, the entire thing just felt so...so -"

"Real?" Dumbledore supplied, Minerva looked up to him frowning deeply.

Instantly_,_ she felt foolish for making such a big fuss about a meaningless nightmare. "But it wasn't real, and I'm sorry I brought it up at all"

She straightened her spine and vanished her tea cup, "Tell me, how is Harry settling in?"

Albus stared at her for a long moment, and Minerva could see he wanted to press the subject. Then with a smile_,_ he replied, "Well enough, considering the circumstances."

"I think it was a wonderful idea for you to enrol him in Hogwarts_,_ Albus, alternate universe or not he cannot get behind on his education. I'm sure the McGonagall in his world would agree."

Albus chuckled lightly, "I'm sure as well"

"He'll be in Gryffindor correct?" When Dumbledore hesitated, Minerva sat up, "Albus_,_ you said he used to be in Gryffindor, you cannot re_-_sort him!" She seemed indignant at the thought of Harry placed in any house but her own.

"While I would love to place him under your care Minerva, in the end it is his decision. I've yet to know if her wants to meet Lily and James."

Minerva's eyes widened, "Whether he wants to meet them or not, Albus the boy will be at Hogwarts. His existence cannot be kept a secret_;_ both Roseline and Daisy also attend_,_ unless - will you be changing his name? Appearance?"

"We will have to see Minerva, " Albus looked suddenly tired, "We will have to wait and see"

()

Harry awoke to find it was morning once again. The dream faded instantly but he remembered most of it. There was the mirror, and his parents, then it cracked and suddenly it was a regular mirror with just his reflection, by himself, alone.

And if he hadn't gotten the point, the mirror proceeded to write the words _'ALONE!ALONE!ALONE!'_ on itself._  
_

Cursing as he untangled his legs from where they'd twisted in the sheets, Harry paused to yell at his subconscious. "If you want me to meet my parents so badly, stop with the stupid symbolic dreams and just say it outright!"

_'okay...we want you to meet your parents... and to stop being so scared.'_

Harry took offense, "I'm not scared! I'm being cautious- I heard that!" his inner voice had let out a cough that sounded strangle like '_wimp!_'

"Of course! You're mad! That explains everything!" said a voice , Harry snapped his head up to see the Great Lady Kathryn floating serenely directly above him. " And here I thought I was loosing my charm. The mad ones never understand me"

Harry didn't bother explaining why he was talking to himself, "What are you doing in here?"

He could barely make out the edges of her ghostly form. She looked next to invisible with the morning sunlight shining through her. Not nearly invisible enough however as the glee spread across her features was clear.

"Have you already forgotten? Poor _dear_! THIS- IS-MY-ROOM" she gestured around and spoke in a slow loud voice, enunciating each word as though talking to a child, " I -AM - LA-DY- KATH-ER-"

"I know who you are!" he snapped, "And I'm not mad!"

Smiling widely, she nodded in an exaggerating motion "of _course_ you're not dear"

Was there anyway to kill a ghost? Harry wondered. Banish them? Lock them up in a tiny box for all eternity?

At this point, he would even settle for sending flowers to the person that had killed her in the first place. A fruit basket to their decedents, or even a card that read 'thank you'.

He moved to leave the bed, when he realized that he had not bothered to put on any pajamas the night before and was still in his boxers. He shut his eyes for a second, not looking forward to the impending conversation.

"Can I have some privacy, so that I can change?" he asked in an overly polite tone, hoping his uncontrollable sarcasm went unheard.

"Of course dear, you won't here a peep from me" she made a zip with her lips, but didn't make any move towards the door.

Harry slowly counted to 10 in his head. He'd forgotten basics like subtly and sarcasm went (literally) through Kathryn, "Could you _leave_"

She waved her hand in dismissal "Oh don't worry! This won't be the first time I've seen a naked man in this bedroom-

"_Please_ stop there"

"Why it was on that bed that I became a wom-

Many things happened at once.

Harry screamed, honest to Merlin screamed and flung a pillow at the ghost, who in turn shrieked and dove out of the room.

Then he screamed again and jumped off the bed shuddering convulsively- he would _never_ sleep on it again.

()

"- exploded right in their faces; Leo says they had to clean each cabin by hand for the rest of the summer, but it was worth it!" Sirius narrated with a proud grin on his face.

James wiped the brimming tears in his eyes and grinned back. "That's brilliant! Why didn't we ever think of that? That's just brilliant!"

"By the way," Sirius said after they'd both settled down, "I forgot to ask, but what was that with the mirror a few days ago?" He and James had kept the mirrors of their childhood in case either needed to be contacted at a moments notice.

The last time Prongs had used it though was when Lily was in labour with Daisy, for Sirius hadn't been in the country at the time to fire-call.

James brows furrowed lightly, "Oh yeah, what did you want?"

Sirius frowned as well, "What did I want? Your the one that bloody woke me up for no reason."

"I did that? All I remember is picking up the mirror and you turning it off on your end - cussing at me the entire time, mind you."  
"Because you woke me up in the middle of the bloody night!" Was he the only one following the conversation?

James shrugged, "I don't really remember, I might have called you first." His face turned sour, "I wasn't having a good dream"

Sirius froze with his cup halfway to his mouth, he remembered that look. James always had a certain look whenever he was thinking about something particularly painful.

"You have something face" He said.

James choked a little on the coffee he was sipping, "I do not."

"Do too!"

"Do not!"

"Do too." he ducked as James through a plastic fork at him. About to throw it back, he paused. James was frowning lightly into his cup.

Sirius sobered, "Do you want to talk about it?"

For a few seconds he thought James wouldn't respond_,_ then, "Not much to talk about"

He was staring into his cup again, Sirius waited. "It was that night again_,_ and this time I was duelling Vo- him. Obviously I didn't last that long, but there was this sense, like I knew I was failing, but was comforted - I don't know _- _by the thought that Lily wouldn't have to mourn me, as I was sure he was going to kill her to. So I thought 'Sirius is going to kill me_'_ -

"Damn right, I would."

James let out a dry chuckle, "It was weird, " He continued, "It all felt so real, from the moment the killing curse left his wand, everything went into slow motion. A part of my brain was saying 'I'm not going to have time to duck', and another part was all 'We_'_re going to die!' And all these thoughts and feelings ran through me and then the spell hit. I felt cold, darkness then... nothing. I woke up.

Blinking, Sirius could think of nothing to say_,_ and so he stayed silent.

"What's even weirder, is Lily woke up a bit later and...I think she was having the same dream"

"The same dream?" Sirius repeated, "How do you figure?"

"Well not the exact same, but I think she was dreaming of the same night, she was upstairs remember? And she was muttering things_,_ like 'Not Harry, please not Harry'." He paused, lost in thought for a few moments before cleaning his thoughts and continuing, "And when I woke her up_,_ she asked me if I ever thought of how that night would have turned out if Snape hadn't been there"

"What did you say?"

"No_;_ which is quite funny_,_ as I seem to be only thinking of that now." He looked up finally and Sirius noticed his eyes were bright behind his glasses. "Sorry to dump this all on you_,_ Padfoot_._"

Sirius sipped his coffee - though it had gone cold. "Damn right you should, I just asked you about the bloody mirror." He waited until James grinned before adding, "Honestly though mate, you should have told me sooner if something was bothering you. In fact, next time_,_ just pick up the bloody mirror again."

"Well, Lily was waking up_,_ and I think even she would find it weird if I was whispering to you in the middle of the night_._"

This time, Sirius did throw the fork back.

James shoved his hands under the pile of plastic forks, intending to send more than a handful flying in his direction when a bald black head poked through, "Potter! Black! Briefing. My office_._"

Sirius exchanged a look with James as they both stood to follow their chief. Kingsley only spoke clipped words when he was agitated.

There where already 2 other pairs in the office when they got there, they exchanged quick nods with Alice and Frank Longbottom, but Sirius frowned lightly as he caught sight of his niece and her partner.

_What was his name again?_

James noticed them as well "Tonks. Williamson." That was it. He usually called him the Auror with the hair, because of the man_'_s long hair that he pulled into a ponytail. Much to the mans dislike.

"What are you two doing here?" Sirius asked.

"They, are the reason we are having this briefing." Kingsley answered, handing a pile of reports to pass out to them. "Two weeks ago, Tonks approached me with an idea her and her partner came up with. She would go undercover and disguise herself as the perfect victim_;_ we think she has finally gained the attention of our perp-

"Now wait_,_ wait_,_ wait just a minute, " Sirius waved the report with his hand, "We_'_re talking about Lestrange here_;_ ever since his spilt with Bellatrix he's been unpredictable_,_ with a grudge the size of this compound. He targets middle age women with black hair who look similar to Bella_,_ and when he finds them -_"_

"We know_,_ Sirius. That's why I want to get this guy off the streets_,_ because he's already killed three witches that fit that memo. And there's not really a shortage of black-haired witches."

"So where does it factor in that it_'_s a good idea to involve a 24 year old new Auror with such a case?" Sirius realized he was overreacting slightly, and towing a thin line between disrespecting his chief, but he had made Andy a promise to watch over her daughter when she'd stubbornly entered the Auror academy.

Tonks crossed her arms, her hair turning a dark red as she glared at her uncle. Kingsley calmly raised an eyebrow, "Firstly, Auror Tonks is 25_,_ and perfectly capable of doing her job. Not only that_,_ but she is a Metamorphmagus_,_ and I can and will use that skill to our advantage, "

Tonks beamed a this. "That doesn't mean she can protect herself -" her face fell."-Lestrange has been dealing with the dark arts for much longer, and so that is where you guys come in. Midnight last night, our senses detected someone watching outside the apartment we set up for her. We think he's targeted her to be his next victim and we'll catch him in the act. Potter, Black, you're on stake-out duty till midnight, that's when_,_ Longbottoms_,_ you'll take over the second shift. You'll switch again at dawn." He turned back to Sirius, "Satisfied Black?"

Embarrassed at having to be put in his place, Sirius mumbled out an appropriate response sheepishly, ignoring his nieces triumphant look, her partners glare (_what was his name again?_) and James_'_ light snort beside him.

()

"I want a new bed." were the first words Harry greeted him with.

"Good morning to you as well Harry."

"Professor, I _need_ a new bed, no wait - a new room. Preferably one on the other side of the Castle, far_,_ far away from the one I have now."

"Lady Kathryn, I presume?"

"Please."

Dumbledore decided to go easy on the boy_;_ after all_,_ he'd dealt surprisingly with her for longer that he'd thought. Even Peeves could not stand the ghost. "I will look into it."

Harry let out a relieved sigh, his shoulders visibly relaxing. Dumbledore smiled lightly as he turned back to stare through the front doors of the Castle. It overlooked the field between the castle and the Forbidden Forest.

He had been trying to picture the areas as Minerva must have seen in her dreams - a battlefield. It was quite difficult to do so_,_ as Hogwarts was famed for being the safest place in the world. (Though it was, if he did say so, due in large part to himself). The largest feud to take place had been between Godric Gryfindor and Salazar Slytherin.

This wouldn't do_._ Albus felt himself frown_;_ he would need to see the dream himself. He would have to be patient_;_ Minerva was still shaken, though she tried not to show it, and would not feel comfortable_,_ nor be subject to reason about it at this time. Yes, he had a better chance of convincing her at a later date.

Remembering his company, Dumbledore turned to find Harry was also staring off into the distance, his face tight with suppressed emotion.

He had a sudden thought, "Harry," He waited until said boy turned his gaze to him, "How did you sleep last night? Any dreams?"

The question was passed casually, but he watched carefully as the younger boy went from surprise, to hesitancy, to consideration, and finally resolve.

He really was terrible at hiding his emotions.

"Actually, I did." he picked at his shirt nervously, "It was abou-"

"Professor Dumbledore! " A large voice boomed excitedly in the distance, "Professor Dumbledore!"

Albus turned to see Hagrid running towards him and couldn't help but smile from the grin stretched across his game-keeper_'_s face. "Looks like we'll have to continue this another time_._" he said.

()

Harry felt a wide grin cross his face at the sight of the panting giant, not even hearing what Dumbledore had just said.

"Dumble -huff dore, you should see -huff- how well Oz is doin' -huff- in the -huff- garden_,_ Sprout made for -" he paused, his panting lessening_,_ as he squinted down at Harry "An' who do we 'ave here?"

Even the mention of yet another person asking him his name couldn't dim Harry's grin, but only served to widen it. Dumbledore blinked at him, pausing slightly before saying "Ah yes...this is Harry. He will be new student attending Hogwarts this year."

"Is tha' so? Well good for you, yer lucky bugger. Hogwarts School of Witchcraf' and Wizardry is the best magic school in the world led by the greatest headmas'er!" The words were almost identical to those he had told Harry on his 11th birthday.

"Thank you Hagrid." Dumbledore said.

"Hagrid." Harry repeated softly.

The said giant stood to his full height and puffed out his chest, "Tha_'_s me, Hogwarts Game Keeper, the Keeper of Ke- oh! Well_,_ it's nice to meet you too!"

Harry had launched himself around Hagrid_'_s middle, happy beyond words that the larger man was acting normal. Other than Dumbledore_,_ he had yet to meet anyone who was, but he knew if there was someone who would never really change_,_ it would be Hagrid.

He would always be just...

"Hagrid" Harry repeated squeezing his arms.

When he finally managed to detach himself, Dumbledore asked "What did you wish to tell me again_,_ Hagrid?"

The giant was still bashfully red at Harry's sudden show of affection, "I could jus' show ya later. S'pose I jus wanted you to see how Oz is doin_._"

"Then I'll come by with Sprout later this afternoon." They said their goodbye's, Hagrid turning down their invitation to join them for breakfast.

An awkward silence descended as they watched Hagrid walk back to his house. Dumbledore turned to Harry with an amused twinkle in his eye, saying nothing.

Harry felt heat creep up his neck at the scrutiny, "What? I was happy to see him." the older man simply raised his eyebrow, "And I just felt like hugging him!" Harry explained, growing pinker.

"Understandable," Dumbledore said, adding "However, I ask that you warn me_,_ should the same urge arise in my company."

"I'll try and control myself_._" Harry muttered, red faced, and turned to walk towards the Great Hall. The headmaster chuckling heartily behind him.

His laughter subsided by the time they reached the entrance, a still smiling Dumbledore turned to Harry. "What were you about to say before we were interrupted..." he paused. "Ah, yes about your dream."

Harry stopped just inside the doors of the Great Hall, face resolved once more_._ "Right-

"Did I just hear dream?" This time he was cut off by the head of the Hufflepuff house. "Oh_,_ I simply must tell you of the one I had last night - lets sit down first." She steered Harry into the table in the center of the hall. He managed to keep from growling at her_,_ and sullenly took his seat, once again next to McGonagall and across from Snape.

At this rate, he would never be able to tell Dumbledore of his decision. Who knew if he would change his mind as the day went on?

McGonagall gave him a weak smile as she passed the basket of crumpets, and Harry noticed the dark bags under her eyes.

"It was most exciting!" Sprout gushed as she accepted the basket from Harry.

"What was?" McGonagall asked.

"My dream!" Beside him he felt McGonagall suddenly stiffen_,_ and across from him_,_ Snape gave a barely noticeable tightening of the fork in his hand.

Harry raised an eyebrow_. __Interesting._

"I dreamt I took part in protecting the Philosopher_'_s Stone_,_ that we had to protect in Hogwarts. All the Professors had to come up with an obstacle, and I was growing a room full of Devil_'_s Snare for the project. There was a moment where a vine got a hold of my forearm and squeezed so tightly_,_ I actually looked for marks this morning!"

She held her hand up to enhance her point, and Harry frowned lightly.

Why would Sprout be dreaming of something that had happened in his world? Unless his a first theory was right all along and everyone had somehow lost their memory.

But no, Harry took a quick peep at Dumbledore, that still would not explain how he was still alive.

Or his parents.

"There was once one where I woke up in my dream knowing I had to fight a battle in Hogwarts," the entire table - but for Flitwick and Harry - paused in what they were doing.

"What happened?" Snape asked in a soft voice, much to Harry surprise. He'd never involved himself with their discussion of inane topics.

Professor Sprout seemed startled as well, for she gave an embarrassed little giggle and said, "Nothing much, we had to postpone it because I didn't have on my best shoes." A sort of tension seemed to break at Sprout's words, "Though that was quite a while ago and nothing like last night_'_s! If only all dreams were as real!" Sprout was saying.

"Be careful what you wish for, " McGonagall muttered, she briefly turned to look his way.

Harry brushed the dream off as a coincidence_. _After all_,_ the alternate dimension theory seemed to be the only one that made the most sense.

Plus_,_ he would know for certain when he met his parents.

The decision to do so had not been as hard as he'd originally expected. He'd seen no other alternative_,_ for two reasons. Firstly, to shut up his inner voice of reason, which has oddly taken up the voice of Hermione, (becoming _that _much harder to ignore). Secondly_,_ because the dream this morning had left him walking around with an odd empty feeling in his chest, stupid though it was.

But mostly, because deep down_,_ he still felt like the 11 year old boy who longed for nothing more than a family.

The Professors_,_ minus McGonagall and Snape_,_ were still on the topic of dreams (who'd chosen to continue eating quietly with pensive looks on their faces), "Goblins simply do not dream, I have never met once who could." Flitwick was saying animatedly, "Understandable as our brain patterns are different -"

The Great Hall doors flew open and standing there was a thin figure_, _wind billowing her shawl, head tilted at an angle to make her glasses reflect the enchanted ceiling.

Harry had to give her points on her - as usual - dramatic entrance.

"Sibyll!" Dumbledore said, surprise evident in his voice. "What brings you down to join us today?"

She threw her shawl over shoulder and glided into the room. "I sensed that we had a visitor_._" she intoned, swinging her head dramatically to turn her enormous eyes to him. Harry immediately looked down.

Trelawney and he just didn't mesh, and when she wasn't making predictions that affected his life_,_ she was finding new and interesting ways to predict his death.

"Does your sense happen to be three feet tall with the name Tippy?" McGonagall asked dryly.

Nice to see some things didn't change_._

"My inner eye informed me that we would have a guest," Trelawney defended_, _rather primly.

"Goodness Sibyll, it's about a few days late, I do believe you may need to polish your inner eye."

Trelawney ignored the dig, and_,_ quick as lightning_,_ reached over for Harry's hands_,_ and grabbed them tightly in her own bony ones.

_'_What was with the female Professors and their need to touch him?_'_ Harry wondered in bafflement. _'_Did he somehow bring out all their maternal instincts_,_ as if he walked around wearing a t-shirt that read 'Mother Me'?_'_

Whatever the case, Harry found himself stiffening under Trelawney's gaze, waiting for the doom prediction_,_ until she said "You have a strong life line_;_ you will lead a happy_,_ peaceful life."

_What__,__ in Azkaban?_

If he expected more_,_ he was wrong, for Trelawney released his hands and leaned back. Harry couldn't help himself.

"That's it?"

Trelawney blinked, "What's it dear?" She replied airily.

"No predictions of death and doom? My life line isn't near invisible? You don't see any grey and black clouds in my aura? No Grim in my pumpkin juice?"

There was a stunned silence, broken only when McGonagall suddenly broke into a fit of coughs which sounded strangely like laughter. Looking around Harry saw that Sprout was pressing her fingers to her mouth to block a smile, Flitwick was clearing his throat rapidly_,_ and even Snape seemed to be smirking in amusement.

Trelawney drew herself up regally, her voice a good deal less misty that before, _,_I don't believe I will be joining you for breakfast after all_;_ I suddenly remember I have a previous engagement._"_

Harry winced as she slammed the doors after her exit, he hadn't tried to be funny_,_ he had been serious. He felt a stab of guilt as he realized he must have hurt Professor Trelawney.

"I didn't mean to -" he began before McGonagall cut him off.

"Quite alight Harry_,_ she's a bit sensitive_._"

"But still..." he didn't want Trelawney to think he had been making fun of her to her face.

He only did that behind her back.

"You can write her an apology letter Harry, I am certain that will you both feel better." Dumbledore added.

"Right, I'll..." Write a letter, of course, a note. It was perfect, and he wished he'd thought of it sooner.

Lost in thought, he missed as McGonagall said "I'm certain she will already see that you will write her an apology note." He stood to excuse himself from the table.

"I'll be right back_._"

Sprout blinked, "He didn't mean now_._"

Harry ran out of the Great Hall before they could question him further, then stopped in the hall leading back to it_._ "Fawkes?" he said loudly, holding his breath.

With a trill and a burst_,_ Dumbledore's phoenix appeared moments later. He smiled as the exotic bird landed on his shoulder and nuzzled his hand. "I need you to take this to Dumbledore, " He quickly jotted down one sentence, short, quick and to point with the extra bit of parchment and quill in his pocket. "But not until_ after_ I get back_,_ okay?"

Fawkes gave a musical cry and seemed to nod at him. Harry petted the phoenix for another minute in thanks_,_ before heading back to the Great Hall. He brushed off all the question from McGonagall and Sprout (the mother-me thing again) and began to eat.

A few bites in, Fawkes appeared in flame_,_ with a soft pop and glided over to Dumbledore_,_ where it transferred Harry's message from its leg to its beak before offering it to the headmaster.

Dumbledore unfolded the message and read it slowly before banishing it with a simple hand gesture. He didn't look up at Harry until halfway through the meal when the professors had gotten into a debate about the best form of detention (even Snape put in his 2 sickles this time).

He didn't say anything, simply peered over his half-moon glasses to look at him, giving Harry the familiar feeling of being X-rayed_.__ 'Are you sure?'_ the gaze seemed to ask.

Harry nodded, meeting the Professors eyes for the second time in two days, '_I'm sure..._

_...I think__'_

* * *

BIG thank you to my beta's: ElvenVampyreFairy, Ilovepi , and Whovian64. Also to bebe who still encouraged me though she had no time to beta for me. Also want to thank my freind Mona, who never read any of the HP books and barely remebers the movies, yet still listened to me rant about my story and gave me wonderfull ideas for future chapter. Really couldn't have finished this chapter without you guys.

This chapter ended up having to be split, and so chapter 11 was technically chapter 10 part 2. I was trying so hard to put in the meeting between Harry and his parents I really lost sight of the pace for my story. Some might think its slow but the reason I began my story was because all the other 'Harry to AU' had him meeting them so quickly! I am very ashamed about the long hiatus, and hope that it will not happen again in the future. On the plus I am now a chapter ahead!

Chapter 11

_answers the elusive question, who is Leo? (okay only one person asked)_

_REMUS! he's finally in, for all those who wanted to see him._

I hope you'll leave a review, it doesn't have to be about this chapter. I'm running out of people for Harry to meet (lol). Any ideas would be forthcoming. Anything you guys wish to particularly see? Other than me- tared, feathered and dragged down the street?

* * *


	11. Chapter 11

I'm sorry this is not a new chapter I was going through this chapter again and realized I **missed adding an entire scene** I'd already written! Its not a very big scene or very important- but it's still a part of my story. Its the Daisy/Rose part after Dumbledore see's Lily. Sorry Again guys.

* * *

The door of Godric's Hollow opened to reveal two grinning faces; the shorter of the two held up a flower and put on a fake French accent,

"A lily for a Lily."

Laughing delightedly, Lily bent to take the offered flower and kiss the bearer on the cheek.

"Thank you Leo." she ruffled the 14 year old's hair as she stood, and smiled to the second visitor.

"Remus, you're right on time, I was just about to prepare lunch."

Lupin smiled softly as Lily attempted to usher him into the house, "I'm sorry Lily, I can't stay long today. Just came to drop off Leo."

Lily opened her mouth to respond when the said boy piped up from where he was hanging up his jacket. "Is Rose here? I've got loads to tell her!"

"Rose went over to a friends house today," Lily responded regretfully, "She's not going to floo back in until tonight." At Leo's crestfallen look she added, "But I would love to hear all about your summer, plus Daisy's still here."

A look of displeasure crossed the younger boys face at the mention of her youngest daughter and Lily shared a glance with Remus.

"Uncle Remus!" Daisy's excited voice travelled down the stairs. Her small frame followed, toting a book half her size. "Uncle Rem-" she skid to a stop midway through the stairs when she noticed the third member of the room.

Lily watched wearily as her daughter tried to balance both herself and her 10 pound book, and not doing a good job. She swayed and Lily ran forward but Leo was closer, catching both Daisy and her book as they fell.

Daisy flushed red as she stepped our of his arms and to Lily's amusement still managed in a cool tone, "Black, you're here as well."

Lily cut in before Leo could respond with what she knew would be a scathing comment. "Daisy, no-one will do anything to your book, there's no need to lug it everywhere your go. You could have been hurt if Leo hadn't caught you."

"It was only two steps. " Daisy muttered sullenly.

Lily reared, fully intending to lecture her youngest on the importance of thinking before acting, when Remus cut in.

"Now Lily, she must have had a good reason for bringing it down."

Encouraged now, Daisy skipped towards her old professor with a wide smile. Lily noticed Leo's exaggerated eye-roll.

"I've been reading it all summer, I'm almost done, too." She exclaimed as Remus flipped through the books contents, balancing it on his knee. "It's just so interesting, I can't put it down!"

"Obviously." Leo muttered darkly, not bothering to lower his voice. Lily hid another smile as Daisy pointedly ignored him, speaking louder she asked.

"Have you read it Uncle Remus?"

"Yes, if I remember correctly I did in 6th year. This is very advanced, good for you, Daisy!" She beamed at the compliment.

With another roll of his eyes, Leo turned to her, "Aunt Lily, Uncle James said you bought cool movies for the telefision. Can I watch some?"

"Of course dear, and that's teli-vi-sion, dear." James might have pronounced it wrong for the past two decades, but she would at least have the children properly educated in her muggle heritage.

She turned to her daughter, still basking in the glow of her pseudo godfather's praise. "Daisy, could you show Leo where the movies are?"

Hazel eyes blinked up at her from behind their lenses, " But - but, he could find them himself - and I wanted - with Uncle Remus -"

Lupin bent to hand her back the book, "When you finish reading it, I promise to come over, and I'll be more than happy to discuss it with you."

For a moment it looked as though she would dispute, and Lily prepared herself for the usual argument. Then, with a nod and a smile, she straightened her back regally and walked back to the stairs. Calling out as she did, "Come along then."

Leo's nose scrunched as though he'd smelt a foul oder, and- with a last helpless look at them- followed.

Lily exchanged another glance with Remus, eyes full of laughter.

(--)

"I take it nothing has changed?" He asked, Lily grinned in response.

Shaking her head she asked, "Can you stay for a cuppa?"

He looked down at his watch, "I have a bit of time before my meeting, why not?" He followed her into the kitchen.

"James not home yet? Neither is Sirius." Remus commented as he sat.

Lily snorted as she filled a vase with water. "When you put it that way Reem, it sounds as though you and Sirius are a married couple."

Lupin gasped in mock offence. "I don't know what you're insinuating Mrs. Potter. We are only two grown men living under the same roof with a child "

She snorted again, "I'm _insinuating_ that it's about time you got a girlfriend."

Remus smiled softly, "But how can I break a poor girl's heart when you are the only one for me?"

Lily grinned. "That excuse won't work again, you can only stoke my ego to a point." She dropped the flower into the vase, continuing, "I'm not James."

Remus tried again, this time putting on the same fake French accent as Leo had earlier on, "But it is I who wrote ze line '_A lily for a Lily' _"

Lily gave an unimpressed eye-roll, a smile tugging on her lips.

"Non? Would you prefer zat I quote Shakesz-peare?"

"Oh, be serious Remus!" She placed a cup in front of him before sitting across the table with her own, "Isn't it time for you to find a nice girl and settle down? What are you thinking now?"

'_That I shouldn't have stayed for a cuppa with a side of interrogation.' _Remus thought dryly.

She cut him off before he could voice his thoughts, "And don't tell me that it's your Lycanthrope holding you back because I know plenty of women who would marry you regardless -"

Remus choked on his tea, "God, Lily! Don't tell me you've been asking around!"

Lily took a slow slip of her drink, "No, I haven't." Remus let out a sigh of relief, "But I will if you don't get your act together. I want to see you engaged by year end."

Lupin snorted softly. That was about as likely as the Wizengmot suddenly declaring him Minister of Magic.

"Marriage is not looking too good right now," He said. "Didn't you hear about the Lestranges? I hear it was a terrible break-up."

Lily pursed her lips; Remus could see her mind work furiously on continuing the subject. But with a dejected sigh she leaned back into chair, "Fine." she huffed.

Feeling slightly sorry for her, Remus decided to humor her "Would you let me off it I told you there's someone that I'm interested in." He laughed when Lily instantly perked back up. "She's very beautiful - when she tries - a bit younger..." he trailed off purposely. Taking a slow slip of tea.

Lily was hanging onto every word, "What's her name? How did you meet her? What type of person is she? Where does she work - no where does she _live?_"

Remus blinked at the rapid fire of questions, lips twitching he asked "Why? Are you going to a track her down, Lily, and ask her to marry me?"

Lily let out a gasp, covering her chest, with a soft, "Oh! You've thought of marriage with her!" Remus was beginning to regret saying anything. "Come on, what else? Tell me more about her!"

"I think I've already said too much."

"Remus!" She leaned forward, and in a conspiratory tone asked, "Did you tell James?"

He leaned forward as well, replying in the same hushed whisper, "Yes, because _he_ can keep a secret from his wife."

"He didn't tell me about your little Maurauder's thing until we got engaged." she pointed.

Remus shook his head, "Sorry." He attempted to keep a straight face, she was full on pouting now.

"And you got all my hopes up. That was cruel, Remus."

He went on the defensive, "Well, who told you to be dreaming up weddings and babies? All I'd said was I'd met a girl."

He looked up from his cup to see Lily frowning into hers. Expecting her to continue to press him, he was surprised when she suddenly said,"Remus, remember the Order meeting that you missed last week because you were out of town?"She didn't pause for an answer, "What did you hear about it?"

Remus set his tea down slowly. "Is this about that boy?" At her surprised look, he supplied, " Sirius told me"

Lily rolled her eyes. "He probably made it sound as though I was obsessed." she muttered bitterly, then winced at her choice of words. "Well…now that I come to think of it."

Lupin waited a beat. "Do you want to talk about i- one sec'." He pulled out what looked like an ordinary quill from his pocket. It was however, vibrating, and when he released it, it wrote _MEETING!MEETING!MEETING! _in the air. Remus snatched the alarm charm quill and deactivated it. "I'm sorry."

Lily stood and collected his cup as well as hers, before turning to put them both in the sink. "No, I'm sorry Remus. I've kept you from your appointment. You should get going."

Remus stood, hesitating "Are you certain, because if you still want to talk I could be little late -"

"You'll do no such thing!" She shoved him lightly towards to the front door.

He stopped, hesitating again, "I have about 5 more min-"

"Remus it's alright! It's not _that _important, we'll continue another time. I'll tell you everything." When he still stood she said, "We'll even braid each other's hair and everything!"

She managed to startle a laugh from him, and so Remus finally said his goodbyes and walked the path that led out of the wards of Godric's Hollow.

(--)

Contrary to the relaxed atmosphere of the two old friends in the kitchen, in the living room, the second generation were the exact opposite.

"So...how was your summer?"

"Good."

"Good! That's...good." he faltered.

Daisy peeked at his from the top of her book; she had already given him the movies, why did he insist on trying to make conversation? Didn't he get the point that she didn't want to talk to him?

_Though he is kinda cute when he's being an idiot. _

Daisy felt her cheeks heat and she ducked back under the cover of her book, cursing herself for perhaps the thousandth time internally, for thinking foolish thoughts.

This was all that Romlida Vane's fault; she had been the one to first mention how popular Leo had gotten with the girls. Naturally, this led Daisy to asses his others features, like how tall he'd gotten, and how attractive his smile was. Which had led to...well _this_.

Before, Daisy had never given him a second thought. He was just - there, almost always _here,_ and so considered part of the family. They had gotten along, somewhat - almost, maybe. But she used to be able to hold her head up in from of him (nose almost always pointed upwards), and look him straight in the eye when she insulted him.

And now she was reduced to this blubbering, blushing idiot.

Not so much blubbering, as not her usual witty, sardonic self. So Daisy, being the bright witch she was, passed off her new thing-that-must-not-be-named, as constant anger and aggravation. Something only achieved in the past when spending more than a few days within his company, not a few minutes.

Because of this logic, when Leo finally asked her, "Don't you want to know how my summer was?"

She responded, "Not particularly."

It was simple self-preservation you see. She had to be distant; if she wasn't, _it_ would get worse.

He was talking. "Look I don't know what I did to piss you off _already_, but how bout if we try and get along this year. I mean -"

Daisy ignored him - well she tried. Flipping a page in her book and even mouthing a few words aloud, irritated that she could probably read through a Hippogriff herd yet this - this _boy_ had the ability to distract her.

Even more irritating, was that a part of her was pleased that he was trying so hard to talk to her, because even if they were locked together for a hundred years, Leo would never look at her twice.

She had gotten (what she considered) the worst genes from both parents. Her father's bad eyesight and Potter mane; her mother's hair color and matching temper.

So involved in her thoughts, Daisy wasn't prepared when her book was suddenly snatched away and let out a sound of indignation.

The culprit didn't look to pleased at her, his mouth in a thin line and silvery greyeyes hard. "Will you stop bloody ignoring me?"

Daisy blinked up at him, realizing she was staring and had yet to say anything back, the now familiar blush arose. Quickly she stood and crossed her arms over her chest. "Give-me-back-my-**book.**" She bit out the words.

Leo smirked evilly; it was times like this when she could see why he was related to the Malfoy's. All he needed was the blonde hair. He backed up behind the center table, "Why don't you try and get it from me?"

She snorted, like she was even going to try that! It would just cause him to lift the book up, then she'd try to jump for it, then he'd _trip_ backwards and she would land on top of him. A position that would do nothing for her already frazzled nerves. She wasn't going to chance a scene like that happening, it almost always did in every romance novel she'd borrowed from Rose.

Daisy, if possible, turned redder at the direction of her thoughts.

Leo's smirk widened, he dangled the book (she'd almost forgotten getting it _back_ was the whole point), and said "It's not healthy to keep all that anger inside, your head looks as though its about to explode."

And trust stupid Leo to point out how unattractive it was when her face was the same shade as her hair. Unbidden tears sprung to her eyes.

His smile dropped, "Bloody hell Dais, you don't have to cry." He placed the book onto the table.

She lunged.

Leo's eyes widened as he realized his slip. He grabbed for the book, hands wrapping around it the same time as Daisy's.

There was a brief struggle, Leo may have been stronger but Daisy had the advantage of being on the table and holding 3/4 of the book. Sure enough, with another tug she exclaimed as Leo's fingers slipped and he flew backwards.

Clutching the book to her chest, she peeked over the edge of the table, swallowing back the words 'Are you okay?' After all, he had started it; he deserved to be on the floor groaning.

"I'm fine by the way, thanks for asking." he rubbed the back of his head. "Merlin, you're a conniving bi-" he cut his sentence short, lucky for him.

Cute or not she would punch him.

Daisy saw him stick his whole head under the table. "Hey! There's something under here."

She rolled her eyes as she stepped back onto the floor, circling around the table to his side, making sure to keep distance between them. "_Sure_ there is."

"There really is!" His body was halfway under the table by now. "It looks like a chain, or a necklace"

Curiosity getting the better of her, Daisy bent to see under her living room table, she had a moment to register a shiny object, before jumping back as Leo stood back up.

He rolled his eyes. "I'm just going to lift the table." Daisy narrowed her eyes as she caught him say under his breath "Don't get your knickers in a twist." He heaved the table up and leaned it on its side.

Daisy gasped, forgetting momentarily to keep her distance, she moved forward. "It's a locket! Oh! It's beautiful!"

"Told you!" Leo said smugly. Daisy continued to finger the locket in awe; it was heavy gold with a familiar looking ornate serpentine 'S' on each side. "How do you suppose it got in there?"

At Leo's question, she examined carefully the edge of the chain that seemed embedded in the bottom of the table. "It looks like it fell through when the table was broken, then got stuck when it was repaired."

"Makes sense." Leo moved to tug the chain out and Daisy grabbed his arm in horror.

"What do you think you're doing? If you try and pull it out, you might break it!"

Leo was saying something, but Daisy had frozen, snatching back her traitorous hand and shoving it behind the book clutched to her chest. She spun as she felt her face heat up _again, _and silently cursing _again_, she purposely walked out the door, ignoring Leo's calls of "I said I wouldn't pull it out!"

Yes, _it_ was getting much, _much_ worse.

(--)

Albus Dumbledore had vast power over the Ministry of Magic. Friends, Order members, acquaintances and even those who simply looked up to him were scattered in every corner of the compound. He had such great influence that some whispered, should he wish, he could easily take over in an instant.

But Dumbledore had never wished so, and in fact never thought to use his influence in the ministry for many years. That is, until now.

"And so you're saying that the MPD was caused by a malfunction of the medical enchantments on the equipment used in the U-Ward?" The broad square-jawed witch inquired.

"That is correct, Madam Bones, to be more specific, they malfunctioned inside room number 27." Dumbledore replied.

The head of the Department of Magical Law Reinforcement, and the Wizengmot nodded as she flipped to the back of the folder. "That collaborates with head Medi-witch of the ward's statements, she is quoted as saying the enchantments_ 'Melded into each other, then exploded outwards.'_ She was apparently in the room at the time but managed to get out before the explosion. And somehow, through the entire thing, the patient in room number 27 at the time was unharmed. Is that all correct?"

Unsurprised, Dumbledore nodded. "That is correct, though the patient was not exactly _unharmed_ through it all, but was in fact screaming to point where we had to restrain him, as you probably read from Healer Nora's testimony."

She nodded her head, watching him carefully, "It must have been a frightening situation for him to wake up to."

Dumbledore smiled. "So you see, there would be no need to send in Aurors to question him. He has already gone through such a terrible ordeal."

_The last part is at least true_, Albus thought to himself.

She lifted a thick eyebrow. "And that's why you are giving your testimony on behalf of him. Because the patient cannot bear to speak the_ horribly frightening_ Auror members?"

Ignoring her sarcasm, he smiled and replied, "That is correct."

She adjusted her monocle to peer at him. "Are you hiding something from me, Albus?"

Dumbledore felt his smile widen. "Whatever gave you that impression, Amelia?"

With a resigned sigh, the former Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher closed the folder and stamped the cover with a _'__**Case Closed'**_.

_First order of business taken care of._

"Your lucky they handed this case over to my division because of the suspected dark activity." She was saying. "How is the search for a DADA professor going?"

"Not well." Dumbledore replied.

Her mouth twitched with suppressed laughter. It was a source of humour at the ministry of who would be asked next to teach the subject at Hogwarts. Madam Bones herself had taught it just the year before.

"Any suggestions?" he asked her.

"There's Kingsley, no wait, he can't this year. How about a few of our top Aurors? Have you tried Sirius Black?"

"I have, many years ago. He said teaching is _not his thing._"

She let out a rare snort, "Yes he would say something like that." A knock on the door revealed a nervous looking secretary, and Dumbledore took his cue to leave.

He briefly considered stopping by James' office but decided against it. He would tell the man in a more private setting; Albus could at least do that for him. He felt the little piece of parchment in his cloak. Such a tiny scrap that held what he knew must have been a large decision.

_'I'll meet them.'_

"Dumbledore!"

At the call of his name, Albus turned to see Remus Lupin, another previous Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, join him in front of the lift.

"Remus, I feel as though I haven't seen you in ages."

The werewolf smiled softly. "Yes, as everyone has been saying. I miss the one meeting where something interesting actually happens." He blinked at his choice of worlds, "No offense Dumbledore"

"None taken. Yes, I remember now - you had something important to do. How is your campaign?" He replied, wanting to move the subject off of Harry.

"Well the petition was a success, I got close to 2000 signatures and I'm actually here today for a preliminary meeting before the bill is put up to vote, and if it's passed…" he took a breath to continue.

"If the bill is passed, that will allow werewolves almost equal privilege as full wizards. We can vote, be named godparents, be reliable witnesses!" His eyes shown with excitement, and Albus felt a swell of pride towards his former pupil.

"Good work Remus, good work. You will of course have my vote and full support."

A ding sounded as the lift arrived, opening its doors to release its passengers. Many nodded to Dumbledore as they passed.

He turned to Remus as he suddenly remembered, "By the way, I meant to owl you last week when you were out of town, but I received a letter from an old friend of mine. He is holding a dinner party Tuesday, with very many open minded influential wizards - or so he informed me - and would love for you to attend."

Remus eyes bugged. "Really?"

Dumbledore nodded. "It's a bit late notice, but he is still waiting for a response."

The younger man grinned. "Thank you Dumbledore, I don't know how you managed to get me an invitation but thank you."

"I merely sent him a copy of your first book, you did all the talking."

Remus paused, his lips twitching. "You seem to have m_erely_ sent my books to a lot people Dumbledore"

They entered the lift that had finally cleared, and Albus blinked innocently. "I find it makes a wonderful present for all occasions."

The younger man looked incredulous. "You sent a copy of each to Fleur Weasley for her baby shower!"

Dumbledore shrugged unapologetically as the lift began to close, "She'll be needing something to read for 9 months."

(--)

Lily sat on the other side of the table, watching as Leo ate the dinner she had made.

When Sirius had first brought him home, Lily had been ecstatic. He'd reminded her so much of Harry when he was a baby, all chubby with messy black hair.

But soon Lily had made the difference, while Harry had been a quiet docile baby. Leo has screamed so often his father turned into his animagus form and refused to turn back. Harry had had her eyes, dark green and full of laughter.

They'd realized early on Leo's eyes were not the only thing he'd inherited from his ancestors.

It had been years since she'd thought of Harry when she had looked at Leo. Why was she doing so now?

"You're staring, Aunt Lily."

Lily blinked. "Sorry."

Beside her, Daisy pushed her plate away. "I'm done. Don't let me get in your way." Lily whipped at her retreating bottom with the dishtowel but Daisy had skipped out of reach.

Leo had asked for seconds, and her youngest wrinkled her nose at him from the doorway. "I can't believe you're going to eat that."

It was a rather large helping, Lily noted, but he was a growing boy.

In response to Daisy's comment, Leo proceeded to shove spoonful after spoonful in his mouth and chew rather loudly. Daisy made a disgusted sound as she left.

Lily sighed, thinking that this was somehow her fault. She had doted on Leo as a child, so much so that Daisy - who had been the same age - grew jealous. And on his 6th birthday, she had pushed in the sand box and dumped a bucket of sand on him..._without_ the bucket.

They had never gotten along since.

Lily had thought they would have grown out of it as they matured, but obviously not. On the plus side, their instant dislike of each other shattered James and Sirius' foolish notions of 'Merging the Families'.

Lily went back to staring at Leo, purposefully this time, watching with growing amusement as he flamed redder and redder. Until finally…

"You're staring again."

She grinned, "It's because I love you." her smile widened, as he turned redder.

"I'm serious, Aunt Lily!"

She reared up and clutched her chest in mock hurt. "Is it because I'm too old?"

She couldn't help but burst into laughter at the mortified expression on the younger boys face.

The doorbell rang, and a still chuckling Lily left to open the door.

"Dumbledore!" she exclaimed, wiping the remaining of her tears. "What a pleasant surprise."

The headmaster blinked at her. "Are you alright?"

Lily wiped at her eyes and grinned. "Just playing a prank on Leo." The said boy walked up behind her, hands still wet from washing them.

He looked surprised to see the headmaster. "Hello, Professor Dumbledore."

"Hello Mr. Black, I trust you had a good summer?"

Leo nodded, "It was good, our leader at Camp W.I.T, Barty Crouch Jr., taught us loads of things."

Lily shared a smile with Dumbledore at the mention of the younger Crouch. Another person saved, just barely. Almost put into Azkaban for being in the wrong place, with the wrong crowd. Had he been sentenced, Lily didn't want to think about what would have happened to the extraordinary intelligent man she knew now. Probably would have gone insane.

"Very good, I hope you are prepared for the coming school year?"

Leo nodded and Lily noticed he was wiping his wet hands on his jeans. "Leo, we have hand cloths for that!" She scolded.

He froze, then with a quick, "Bye professor!" bolted up the stairs. Lily crossed her hands, another Marauder she would have to teach a lesson.

_Teach._

"Oh! Of course! How could I have forgotten, you're here about the Defence Against the Dark Arts position -"

"Well -"

"I'm so sorry Dumbledore, I can't accept it. I simply wouldn't be comfortable teaching a subject I'm not that strong in, and after having Remus and Madam Bones the kids would simply hate -"

"Yes, yes I understand Lily. I would not have asked in the first place had my original candidate not had to leave the country"

Lily bit her lip guiltily. "Well, I suppose - if you can't find anyone else, then I'll -"

"That's quite alright, Lily. I knew you were not going to accept when I first asked."

She blinked. "You did?"

"Yes, and as a matter of fact, that is not why I am here today."

Her heart skipped a beat. "It isn't?"

Dumbledore paused. "You might wish to have a more private setting to hear this."

Lily nodded mutely, leading them back into the kitchen before closing the door and placing a silencing spell on it.

"James?" Dumbledore asked, as he sat in the chair Leo had vacated moments before, gesturing for Lily to sit across from him.

"Still at work." She did so, barely sitting on the chair, back erect.

It was about the boy, she knew it.

"I'm not sure where to begin…"

(--)

Roseline struggled to pull the mattress through the doorway of her sisters room. Managing less than an inch before pausing to catch her breath.

"And here I thought 14 years of Quiditch practice would have at least gained you some muscles." Daisy said dryly from her perch above her own bed.

Rose paused, pushing her hair out of her face. "I don't understand how people are under the impression that being a Seeker is a workout. All I do is sit on my ass on a broom all day. The only muscles constantly being-" she had started to pull at the pad again, "exercised, is my neck and- oh!"

The mattress was suddenly pulled from her by an invisible grip and levitated fully into the room, where it dropped soundlessly next to Daisy's bed.

Rose gaped for a few seconds before turning to find her sister holding up a wand and smirking.

"Nicked it from mum" she explained.

Rose rolled her eyes, "Watch me get blamed for that again." She lifted the sheets that had fallen to the floor. "_Your the oldest you should know better, you know how she watches you_." She mimicked, spreading the linens onto the mattress. "Honestly if I had _half_ as much control over you as they think I do."

Daisy grinned, passing a pillow down to her. "She was kind of out of sorts, I just lifted it off the kitchen counter."

Her smirk widened, "She didn't even do her whole- saying goodbye to Leo as though he was going off to war- thing she always does. And could you believe he was actually _upset, _even though all he does is complain when she _does_ do it."

Roseline smiled slowly. Happy that Daisy had given her the opening. "Leo huh?" She placed the pillow on her lap and leaned into it, "How did it go?"

The flash of regret that crossed her sisters features only served to widen her smile. Daisy instantly stiffened, "Like usual- night" she settled down and borrowed deep into her sheets.

Fully grinning now, Rose roughly pulled the sheets away. "Oh come on! I didn't drag my ass all the way over here to watch you sleep. How did it _go_?"

Daisy sat up and crossed her arms, "How do you _think_ it went? We still can't be in the same room together for more than a minute without biting each others heads off!_ That's_ how it went. He still hates me and more importantly I still hate _him_"

Rose rolled her eyes, "Right, he probably _hates _you just about as much as you him. Did you try what I told you to do?"

Daisy snorted, "Right, be _nice_. I can't be nice. It's not me. I'm not a _nice_ person. I might as well coo and giggle while I rub his arm and tell him what a big _strapping_ man he is."

Rose laughed aloud as Daisy continued with growing frustration, "Honestly, the boys head is so inflated I'm surprised he could get his broom in the air!"

Roseline rolled her eyes again, " Come on Dais. Didn't we make a pact this summer to go after our love conquests."

"It's different." She replied.

"How? I chose Colin, you choose Leo." Rose countered.

"Wrong, you _choose_ Colin yes. I don't remember being asked if I _wanted _to like Black. i', pretty certain I would have screamed No!"

"On the bright side, at least were past the denial stage." Rose said dryly. "Now lets work on the blushing."

"I don't _blush_" Came the curt response.

Roseline found herself rolling her eyes for the third time that night. "Imagine Leo wisking you off your feet and snogging you senseless."

Daisy flushed.

"Case closed."

"It was because of implied imagery not the person!" Daisy defended primly, turning to face the other side of her bed with crossed arms.

Rose deepened her voice. "Bloody hell Dais. Don't get angry."

He sister snapped he head to the doorway of her room. Turning red once more when she realized it had just been Roseline and not Leo.

Rose grinned. "Was it the _implied_ tone of voice this time?" She asked.

" The first step is to admit you have a prob-"

Daisy had used the wand again, this time on her as Rose was moving her lips but no sound was coming out.

Daisy giggled as her sister snatched the wand from her and undid the silencing spell.

"I'm going to put this back in mums room before she notices, then I'm going to get a glass of water. And when I come back, be prepared to be undergoing some serious blush therapy."

With that she turned and walked out of the room.

(--)

It was the sound of a foot slipping,then a '_Omph_' Of contact, followed by an '_Ow!_', that snapped Lily out of her thoughts.

"How many times I told you not to run down the stairs?" It came out automatically, with no real trace of scolding behind it.

"_Believe_ me I wish I'd listened to you now mum, " Her daughter grumbled, limping and rubbing her sore behind as she made her way into the kitchen, "Bugger I think I hit the corner."

A thought suddenly registered to Lily, "When did you get here?".

Roseline took a cup out of one of the shelves, "2 hours ago." She paused her movements at her mothers blank stare. "Don't you remember? I flood in and the first thing you told me to do was to make sure the front door was locked, then..."

_Had she?_ Lily's mind wandered, _why would the front door be unlocked?_ Then she remembered, she had not locked it after Dumbledore had left. Dumbledore who had told her Harry was alive. Alive and grown. Her baby was _alive_.

"...put the present Leo brought for me in my room, and are you listening to a word I'm saying! Mum!"

Lily blinked out of her daze, feeling a sudden flush of guilt. "I'm sorry honey, I just have a lot on my mind."

She ran a hand through her hair and rested her head on the kitchen table with an exhausted sigh. Feeling as though it was the first time she'd moved in hours. She heard the chair in front of her pushed back as her daughter sat down. Another sound as something was slid across the table, and Lily looked up to see a glass of water in front of her. She smiled tiredly.

"Thank you sweetie"

Rose tilted her head, "Something been bothering you lately. Come on, spill. I'm sitting on a bruised bottom for you here"

Lily gave a little laugh, "You call that a sacrifice? Do you know how long I was in labour with you?"

"Please spare me the details, " She pursed her lips. "Are you pregnant?"

Lily gagged on the water she had been in the process of drinking, "No! Why would you think that?"

Rose shrugged, "Well your waiting up for dad with what Sirius calls _something face_. plus, you were all quiet and withdrawn with Daisy's pregnancy too."

"And how would you know? You could barely crawl at the time"

Rose shrugged again."Dad told me." She drank down the last of the water from her own glass and stood to put it back into the sink. "I'm sleeping in Dais' room tonight."

Lily nodded in acknowledgment as her daughter limped lightly to the door. Pausing to suddenly turn back and kiss her on the cheek.

"Good night mum, I love you"

Lily blinked rapidly, feeling the tears come none the less, and glad Rose was already heading up the stairs. She could not tell her daughters anything because Lily hadn't told neither of them about Harry.

At first it was because they were too young, now however it was simply because she couldn't get herself to talk about her first born. Never could sit them down and tell them they once had an older brother.

The clock on the kitchen wall struck midnight, Lily hardly noticed.

An unbidden thought caused more tears to spring to her eyes. Would Harry have poured her water? Told her he loved her? Kissed her Goodnight?.

The front door opened, and Lily jumped in her seat, glad to be pulled from her thoughts. She rubbed her eyes and walked to the doorway between the kitchen and the hallway connecting to the living room. Pausing at the threshold to watch as her husband slowly took off his cloak, groaning loudly.

"Rough day?" She asked softly.

"Haven't done stake-out duty in a while. I swear Kingsley choose the smallest bush for us to camp in because of Sirius." He groaned again as he slowly made his way up the steps.

Lily turned off all the lights and hung up the cloak James had flung on the couch before following. She paused again at the bedroom door, watching the open washroom door wearily.

How would she approach the subject. _James we have to talk? I have something important to tell you? There's something I need to tell you?_

Lily pulled lightly on her hair nervously. _ How would she tell him?_

James came out of the washroom and flopped face down on top of the covers, clothing and all.

Lily wrung her fingers, stalling. "Your not going to change?"

"No point," came the muffled response, "I have to get up at 5"

Lily's mind worked furiously in the short amount of time it took her to turn off the washroom light and close the door. She took a deep breath, braced herself and turned, words on the tip of her tongue.

Her words jumped back down her throat and Lily's shoulders fell. Staring dejectedly at her husband.

She would not be able to tell him now. Not when he was already physically exhausted. Not even bothering to take off his glasses. With a crestfallen sigh she pulled them gently off his face, pausing to brush back his hair.

The boy- no Harry, _my Harry my baby_, had looked just like him. Down to the glasses. Lily found herself wondering if he would grow up to look even more like James.

"Lily" she blinked at the soft call of her name to find James had opened his eyes. His brows furrowed, "Are you alright?"

She quickly placed the glasses on the side table, moving to her side of the bed. "I'm fine go to sleep."

Instead, he propped himself onto his elbows and stared at her, "Did you want to tell me something? Is that why you waited up?"

"Don't be silly, I always wait up for you. Go to sleep."

He was silent for another moment, and just when Lily thought he'd given up asked, "Are you pregnant?"

She gaped. "No!"

"Are you sure? Because you were just like this with dais-"

"I know! And I'm sure! Honestly, both you and Rose now." She grabbed her wand from the side table, (hadn't it been on the kitchen counter?), and turned off her lamp.

"You know you could tell me anything right?" Even in the half lighting she felt his earnest gaze.

_I do know_ she wanted to shout, _and I do want to tell_ you. She just couldn't, not now.

And so Lily said, "Dumbledore offered me the Defence Against the Dark Arts position."

His eyes widened, "Really? Do you wan't to do it?"

"I don't know, and that's what I wanted to ask you." She lied.

He nodded in understanding, well he tried, his head gave a sort of jerk that resembled a nod. "Because of Snape right?" She hadn't even thought of that. "Plus it's not exactly your favourite subject now is it?"

"You right, " She agreed hastily, wanting to wrap up the conversation. The man looked as though he would drop at any moment, "I'll tell Dumbledore tomorrow"

She has a sudden idea, "Tomorrow night! I'll tell him tomorrow night. Can you come with me? I don't want to face Dumbledore alone."

It was an outright exaggeration, and had James been in his right mind he would have seen right through it.

Be there as it was, he simple said. "Splendid! See that wasn't so hard"

He slumped back down and Lily knew she had to tell him before tomorrow night, "Promise?" She pressed.

"Promise." He nodded off mumbling the occasional words, not, so, and hard.

If only it wasn't. She lifted her wand to turn off the other lamp. Staring into the darkness Lily knew she wouldn't get any sleep this night.

(--)

He knew who it was before the soft footsteps reached the top of the steps and the man appeared at the entrance. For a brief moment, Harry wondered how the headmaster knew where he always, then figured the portraits must have had something to do with it.

He stood on one side of the Astronomy tower, Dumbledore stood a few steps away.

"I see you decided to study up here." Dumbledore commented, gesturing to the books and parchments spread out behind them.

"Yeah, I'm taking a break" Harry responded, continuing the bland conversation. He leaned forward slightly over the edge of the rampart as he looked into the distance.

The lake drew his attention, a ripple as a merman dove back into it's depth.

A question suddenly formed. "Where did you learn to speak Mermish?"

Dumbledore raised a brow at the inquiry. "Self taught. When I was younger, I knew my goal was to be a teacher hear at Hogwarts. And while not required, I found it was a fascinating skill I wished to have. Months I spent, simply watching them and eventually I learned." He smiled at the memory, "Though I am not fluent, I can get by well enough. It was much simpler to learn than French"

Harry grinned. "Do you know any other languages?"

"I'm decent in Giant" The headmaster turned to look at him, "Anything else you wished to know?"

"Well...there is something I wanted to ask you last night." At Dumbledore's nod he continued. " How did Snape-"

"_Professor _Snape Harry"

Harry paused, a smile tugged at his lips.

"May I as what you found amusing?" Dumbledore asked when he didn't continue.

"It's just that, I'd forgotten how the you- the other you, always corrected me like that."

"Yes, well. Unfortunately some biases are inherited."

Harry felt his smile grow wider, "He said that too."

"Not surprising as we are the same people simply shaped by different circumstances." He gave Harry an amused smile. "You ask the strangest of questions. Any particular reason?"

Harry shrugged, "I guess I've always wanted to know but..." he trailed off, but Dumbledore completed his sentence.

"But you never got the chance to ask?" It was more of a question than a statement.

Harry didn't respond.

Dumbledore let out a tired sigh, "I wish you would talk to me Harry." He shifted, leaning slightly against the rampart. Harry, with a flash of guilt turned to give him some sort of explanation. Some form of a proper response. He faced the older man and froze as a memory hit.

In his minds eyes he didn't see the man in front of him. But another, at another time. With the same face-but no this face was drawn- tired. Saw him slide down the rampart as his strength failed him. Saw Malfoy pointing his wand, then the death eaters- _Greyback_- then Snape. Face twisted, wand raising-

"Harry!"

He snapped back to reality. Breathing heavily. Dumbledore stared at him. Dumbledore, healthy- alive- frowning_- worried_.

Harry turned away. His breath was still coming out short and he clutched the edge of the rampart tightly. More so to stop his hands from shaking.

_Where the hell had that come from?_

He hadn't even realised this was the same tower. The same one they had been on that last night. The same tower Dumbledore had fallen down. How had he completely overlooked that? He had purposely avoided the tower during the last weeks of school before the funeral.

Had he been so desperate to study elsewhere, avoiding both the library (as it brought too many memories), and his room (as it brought out the ghost Harry was certain was evil).

His older companion said nothing for what seemed like the longest time. Finally he said. "I believe it may be my turn to ask strange questions."

Harry tensed.

"Do you want to change your name?"

The question caught Harry off guard. "What? Why?"

"As this is not your world, you do not necessarily have to keep your name." Dumbledore responded."You can be anyone you wish- within reason of course. I can easily change your identity completely."

"You can do that?" It was a rhetorical question.

Harry furrowed his brows as he considered the question. He could not deny that the idea did appeal to him. In his deepest moments of self-pity he'd wished for nothing more than to be someone -_anyone ­_else but himself.

But that was then, and this was now. His frown deepened. Yes, now was different. Ever since he'd arrived in this world he felt as though his name was the only thing keeping him together- keeping him sane. The only constant was who he was. He knew- even if nobody else did, that he was Harry James Potter. He didn't want to change that.

"Can't I be just... Harry?"

"Of course"Dumbledore smiled softly.

"Next question, did you wish to change your Hogwarts house?" At Harry's frown he added, "You will not have to go through the sorting hat again if you do not want to."

Harry blinked, "How did you-"

"Many do not wish to go through that process again."

Harry nodded in agreement, the sorting hat had originally wanted to put him in Slytherin after all.

But Harry saw no appeal in entering a House in which Snape was the head. Even this worlds _nice_ version. And while he was certain not all Slytherin's were evil, (only about 75), he figured he would not be able to stand any version of Malfoy.And while his worth ethic was good now, he would not keep it up. And so the Ravenclaw's would know by the first week he didn't belong in their house.

Harry wouldn't have minded going into Hufflepuff. He even liked most of its members. But they had a tendency to want to know anything and everything about their members.

Gryffindor it was then, Harry decided. On the bright side, at least he would be in a house that he was proud of, with its familiar occupants.

He froze,_ its occupants. _

_Bugger_

"I take it by your silence you wish to remain in Gryffindor?" Dumbledore was saying. "Minerva will be pleased."

Harry nodded dumbly, his mind working furiously.

Another thing he had overlooked. He would be seeing even more familiar faces, even more strangers. How had he completely overlooked that fact for 2-days?

The answer came immediately. _Because you've been obsessing about your pare-_

A musical cry far above them distracted Harry from his train of thought. Both him and Dumbledore looked up to see Fawkes turning in circles in the air.

The bird suddenly dove straight down to the grounds below. Harry blinked, surprised by the action. Even more so when the phoenix reappeared moments later, carrying an object in its clutches.

Harry squinted to make out the object in the dark lighting, and saw it _move._

He drew back, gaping. Swivelling his head in rapid succession from Dumbledore's amused expression to Fawkes holding its prey.

"Is that-? Did he just-?"

"Did you think he ate love and drank goodness?" Dumbledore let out a light laugh. "Yes I too was under that impression. Alas Fawkes is but an animal which requires sustenance."

Harry stared at the bird as it flew away with its food, bright tail all that was visible in the night sky. Another question formed in his mind, as Harry recalled his earlier use of the phoenix.

"About the note- I mean, did you already- "

"Did I tell Lily and James about you?" He seemed to not be able to complete any of his sentences today without Dumbledore assistance.

"Yeah."

"I have informed Lily and I am certain she will in turn tell James. I got the notion she had previously suspected something."

Harry frowned, absorbing every word. How could she had suspected anything? He was certain she had not seen him on his broom.

A look of dawning crossed the headmasters face. "Ah! Of course you would not remember. Your first _grand _entrance into our world was right through the living room table in the Potter household."

Harry eyes widened, "In Godric's Hollow?"

"Yes in Godric's Hollow." Dumbledore peered at him carefully. "Do you remember how you got to be there?"

_It is time I finished what I began here 16 years past. Fitting isn't it?_

The memory of the high chilling voice flashed, but Harry shoved it into the recesses of him mind before it could fully form.

Harry looked away. "No, I don't remember."

He heard a defeated sigh from the headmaster, and felt another flash of guilt.

"I'll tell you one day- everything. I promise. Just...not now." He didn't face the older man as he spoke. "Please."

"Very well." The headmaster replied softly.

Harry changed the subject, "How did she react to it then?"

Dumbledore picked up his cue, "She was shocked at first, of course. And after we ran through your details for the 10'th time, she was excited."

"Excited?" This had not been one of the reactions Harry had expected. Shocked, yes. Apprehensive, unbelieving, these were what he had been expecting.

"Yes, she was anxious to meet you. I managed to deter her from following me tonight however I will not be able to stop her from coming tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" Harry repeated, suddenly weighed down by a terrible sense of inevitability. He would meet them tomorrow.

"I'm sorry Harry, but I could not find the heart to refuse her."

Both parties stayed mute for a few moments, each deep into their own thoughts.

The clock stuck midnight, jolting them both.

"I bid you goodnight then harry. And good luck for tomorrow."

Again, Harry understood the double meaning to the headmasters words and nodded. Watching his back retreat down the stairs of the Astronomy tower.

He turned to look at the review work spread out behind him and sighed. Harry knew he would not get any sleep this night.

* * *

I tried I really did guys to have the meeting in this chapter. It was originally supposed to be in the 10'th but now it's going to be in the 12'th. Funny how writing a story never goes according to plan. I didn't get many reviews my last chapter. So hopefully you will find it in your heart to do so now. You can tell me what you think of my OC (Rose, Daisy, Leo). And my Remus.

Chapter 12 (comming soon)

_Harry meets his parents._

I dont' think you guys care about anything else.

Till next time.

Azer


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